The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church decided to reopen its churches on August 3rd. The churches will start by holding the Holy Masses under the precautionary measures. This decision applies for the churches of Cairo and Alexandria that were closed for almost 4 months due to the spread of Corona virus.

Father Abraam Emil, deputy of Alexandria diocese for the Coptic Orthodox Church, said that most of the churches in Alexandria celebrated the feast of the Apostles without congregation after it was very hard to choose 25 people of each church. It is noteworthy that the permanent committee of the Holy Synod allowed the Orthodox Churches to hold the Mass of the Apostles - on an exceptional basis - and in the presence of only 25 people per Mass with the application of the precautionary measures required before and during the attendance of the Mass.

Abba Peter Fahim, Metropolitan of Minya Catholic Church, headed the celebration of the feast of the Apostles at the King’s Cathedral in Minya. The celebration was attended by a number of priests and deacons of the diocese.

As the Coptic Church is preparing to celebrate the feast of the Apostles, it announced that only 25 person can attend the celebration in each church to ensure social distancing and apply all precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Churches used lottery to determine who can attend the exceptional Holy Mass of the feast after the people register through website or by telephone.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II held an online meeting with Bishops and heads of Coptic monasteries of Europe. Pope delivered a speech entitled Rejoice in the Lord at all times and they discussed the situation in the diocese of Europe with the bishops.

Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, perfumed the remains of St. Moses and St. Isidore at the monastery of the virgin Mary in Wadil Natroun on the occasion of celebrating their feast. It is worth mentioning that St. Moses was a disciple of St. Isidore after his repentance and monasticism.

The Egyptian armed forces built an isolation hospital for the patients of COVID-19 with a capacity of 4000 beds in just 15 days. The hospital was built at the New Cairo fairgrounds and was provided with 50 ambulances and two airplanes.

The Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria has started a new service dedicated for COVID-19 patients. The service announced several phone numbers to provide advice, providing medication, and medical support when needed.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities launched a campaign under the title ‘Same Great Feelings’ to highlight preventive measures taken to protect tourists from COVID-19 and to provide visitors with a great and thrilling experience in Egypt. The video was published in several satellite channels and social media platforms to promote tourism in Egypt.

Heba Kamil, presenter of the Sabah Al-Nour program broadcast on the Coptic channel CTV, that a Coptic priest died after being infected by COVID-19 upon serving the funeral of a man who was infected with the virus, but his family never told him about their infection. She explained that the family should have told the priest about their infection to take the proper preventive measures, but their lack of honeys led to the death of Father Bishoy Ayad, priest of the Church of the Virgin and Pope Kyrillos in Ezbet el-Nakhl, Cairo, .

Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, offered protective medical clothes to several hospitals in Alexandria. Father Abraam Emil, was delegated by Pope Tawadros to hand over the present to Mohamed el-Sherif, governor of Alexandria, to distribute them on the hospitals. It is noteworthy that the Archdiocese of the services of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate manufactured 1000 pieces of protective clothing for doctors

Copts United mourned the departure of Father Hedra Abdul-Shahid, priest of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Qena who departed after long suffering with illness. Family of Copts United website ask God to grant condolences for his family and congregation.

11 new hotels received health safety corticated needed for reoperation raising the total number of certified hotels to 218. An inspection committee from the health ministry, the chamber of hotels, governorate authorities and the tourism ministry has reviewed the hotels to ensure they are following the health guidelines laid out by the Egyptian government and the World Health Organization.

The Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria announced a new reading competition during the curfew under the auspices of Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See. The participants have to read 7 books and pass an online electronic exam and winners will receive financial rewards from His Holiness Pope Tawadros. It is worth mentioning that all Coptic people inside and outside Egypt can participate in the competition.

Bishop Tadros of Port Said and the Pontifical Vicar of Sydney congratulated the congregation on Pentecost feast, June 7th. In his speech, he spoke about the forty days spent by Jesus Christ after his resurrection till his Ascension into heavens and the reception of the Holy Spirit.

The Archdiocese of the services of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate manufactured 1000 pieces of protective clothing for doctors and presented them as gifts from His Holiness Pope Tawadros to Egyptian doctors and nurses. The Coptic magazine of Keraza said that the Archdiocese have presented thousands of masks and alcohol in addition to distributing food on 6000 families of the needy during the pandemic.

The Diocese of Faiyum celebrated today the feast of its patron saint Anba Abraam, Bishop of Faiyum and Giza, in his monastery in Azab. The ceremony was attended by Bishop Abraam of the Diocese, and a limited number of priests without congregation.

HG Bishop Bakhoum of Sohag participated with Islamic scholars yesterday at the ceremony organized by the University of Sohag to present the prize of tolerance and religious dialogue, which was granted to the researcher Dr. Mahmoud Farraj, who presented a research entitled ‘Religious Tolerance, the Icon of Communication between the Past and Present, Sohag as a Model. The award bears the name of the former Sheikh of Al-Azhar, the Honorable Late Imam Dr. Syed Tantawi, and the prize is funded by Coptic businessman Najib Sawiris.

Father Ruice Markos, the priest of the Church of the Virgin and St. George in the Gabriel District in Alexandria, said that God saved the church from fire after a Molotov Cocktail was thrown at the church. The extremists man was arrested and the Molotov Cocktil was broken one meter away from the church building, which is considered a miracle that saved the Church.

H.E Bishop Anba Tadros (caretaker of the Diocese) sent a message to the diocese that reads: "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Beloved sons and daughters, the congregation of the Diocese of Sydney. Grace and peace from Christ our Lord and Saviour. Wishing you a blessed Feast of the Ascension of Christ into heaven 40 days after His Glorious Resurrection. We wish to share with you some matters concerning the Diocese of Sydney. 1. We thank our Lord Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing granting a unique grace to the Diocese of Sydney that during the peak wave of the coronavirus all the Liturgies were still prayed by way of closed services. I wish to thank all the fathers, deacons, servants, youth and the entire congregation who adapted to the changed with love and humility. 2. His Holiness Pope Tawadros II has directed the total restructuring and reforming of the administrative and financial departments of the Diocese. 3. His Holiness Pope Tawadros II has directed that the constitution of the Diocese of Sydney be amended. 4. His Holiness Pope Tawadros II has requested that the Coptic Orthodox Church (NSW) Property Trust Act be amended from sole trustee to a Board of Trustees. This is being conducted through the office of the Attorney General of NSW. 5. The interim Finance Committee has appointed Mr Amgad Lotfi to replace Mr Simon Michael. We thank Mr Michael for his dedication and commitment over the last 14 years. 6. We are in the process of releasing all caveats on church properties across the Diocese. 7. His Holiness has requested the restructuring of a new Coptic education board for all three Coptic schools and the creation of sub committee to assist the Board in engaging with the school community. 8. The Commonwealth Bank has placed a three months freeze on all church loans. 9. The Diocese will establish a new Public Relations Committee and a new Media Committee. 10. The financial affairs of the Diocese will be communicated to the congregation when all figures are received and analysed. The financial contributions from the churches to the Diocese, which Is approximately $23,000 per month, has been stopped to assist the cashflow of the parishes. Further reductions to church monthly contributions are being assessed 11. The local clerical council will continue to function under the guidance of HG Bishop Domadious of the Diocese of Six October. 12. We are proud the Very Rev Fr Shenouda Mansour, parish priest of St Anthony and St Paul, who has been re nominated to serve a third term as General Secretary of the NSW Ecumenical Council. 13. We wish to see a greater emphasis and focus on the spiritual and pastoral services of the Dioceses above all else that we may present every man perfect in Christ (Colossians 1:28). 14. We pray that the Holy Spirit work abundantly to foster greater love, unity and harmony among all, "Above all put on love which is the bond of perfection." (Colossians 3:15). If any person wishes to submit any recommendations or discuss any issues you are all very welcome. My heart is open to you all. Be blessed in The Lord +Anba Tadros Metropolitan of Port Said Papal delegate to the Diocese of Sydney.

The official spokesman of the Coptic Orthodox Church said on his Facebook page that a man threw a Molotov cocktail at the church of St. Mary Church in Ghobrial, Alexandria on Saturday May 16th. The attack caused no harm for people or the building and it was recorded by surveillance cameras of the church. Police have arrested the man and he is currently under investigation.