His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, inaugurated the Church of the Virgin Mary in Düsseldorf, the capital of the state of Northern Rhine, in the presence of several German personalities. His Holiness spoke about the stages of inauguration including: special prayers, anointing with oil mixtures, and anointing with the chrism. During the three stages, the people answer Lord Have Mercy, Amen, and Alleluia. This means that the inauguration ceremony leads us to ask for God s mercy, for accepting our prayer, and rejoice saying Alleluia.
The friendship between Pope Cyril VI and Pope Paul VI encouraged the Coptic Pope to start an international Coptic ministry for which he appointed Bishop Samuel, especially after many Copts have immigrated because of the laws of Nasser that affected them badly. Bishop Samuel started relations with the other Churches and the World Council of Churches. A number of Coptic churches began to spread in the Diaspora, especially in Europe and America.
His Holiness Pope Cyril VI started to send priests to the majority of this country so that the Coptic people would not be lost in the midst of the new countries they migrated to. Bishop Samuel sent Father Mina Iskandar to care for the Copts in Europe.
Father Salib Suriel also played an important role in that account who served in Germany and established 7 churches and the monastery of St. Anthony in Kreiblach near Frankfurt and a Coptic cultural center attached to the monastery.
