Christians of Egypt owe their steadfast faith to one of the youngest apostles of Jesus Christ, the Saint Mark the Apostle who came from faraway lands to Alexandria until his shoes were dilapidated.
As the Egyptian cobbler was fixing St. Mark’s shoes, he was injured and called on the one God to save him. St. Mark decided to introduce him to Christian faith.
St. Mark started to spread Christianity in Alexandria to face the wrath of the pagans and the Romans.
He continued his ministry around the world and when he returned back to Alexandria he was kidnapped and killed by the Romans in the streets of the great Egyptian city.
St. Mark believed in delivering his message to the people of Egypt and Libya. He founded one of the greatest churches all over the world. Moreover, it is the only institute that lasted for the last 2000 years. It survived various calamities, disasters, persecutions and the heretics. Its Egyptian identity remained in its name “Coptic” and its faith remained “Orthodox”.
St. Mark was martyred in Alexandria and left a long list of Patriarchs in Egypt, one of which is His Holiness Pope Tawadrso II, Pope No. 118 of Alexandria, who seeks unity with all churches and love with everybody along with patriotism to the homeland. Long live the Coptic Church.
