On Saturday, January 8, 2011, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III received the Reverend Dr. Olav Fykse Tvelt, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and other visitors from the organization’s Geneva offices to offer personal condolences in response to the New Year’s Eve terrorist attack on the Saints’ Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria.The esteemed visitors expressed sympathy, support and the continued prayers of all WCC member churches to His Holiness and the – …

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III received two warm letters from the His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, the Chairman of the Department of External Relations within the Russian Orthodox Church expressing the solidarity of the latter with Copts worldwide after the heinous New Year’s Eve terrorist attack at the Saints’ Church in Alexandria that left at least 28 dead and more than 90 wounded.In his letter, Patriarch Kirill noted how “[t]he faithful of the – …

His Grace Bishop Serapion received a warm letter from the Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange, the Most Reverend Tod D. Brown, expressing solidarity with Coptic Christians worldwide over the inhuman terrorist attack on the Saints’ Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria, Egypt on January 1, 2011.His Grace Bishop Brown communicated to the Coptic community the “spiritual closeness and deep prayer for an end to these attacks upon all Christians in the Middle East.” In addition, His Grace – …

In the latest in a series of acts of solidarity with the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America under the leadership of His Eminence Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) has issued a statement condemning the New Year’s day terrorist attack on the Saints’ Church in Alexandria, Egypt, which left at least 25 dead and scores injured, many severely.According to the statement, “This was one of the most heinous terrorist attacks on a – …

His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Iwas Patriarch of Antioch and All the East for the Syriac Orthodox and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church denounced on Sunday the terrorist attack that targeted a church in Alexandria, resulting in dozens of casualties and injuries.In a cable to Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist, of Alexandria, Patriarch Zakka I – …

Today, the National Council of Churches (NCC) issued a powerful condemnation of the recent terrorist attack that murdered at least 26 Coptic Orthodox worshippers and injured scores more outside The Saints Church in Alexandria, Egypt.Dr. Michael Kinnamon, the General Secretary of the NCC, said, “The perpetrators of this outrage are apparently so blinded by hatred that they have lost touch with the tenets of any known faith… It is simply agonizing to think that many around – …

The Roman pontiff Pope Benedict XVI urged Christians to remain strong in the face of intolerance and violence in the hours following the senseless and brutal attack on innocent Christians leaving The Saints Coptic Orthodox Church after a Divine Liturgy for the New Year. The pope condemned a widening campaign against Christians in the Middle East in his New Year’s homily delivered at St. Peter’s Basilica. “In the face of the threatening tensions of the – …

The World Council of Churches issued a condemnation of the inhuman attack on innocent worshippers in The Saints Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria, Egypt in which a bomb was detonated at the conclusion of the New Year’s Divine Liturgy at midnight, killing at least 21 people and injuring at least 80. From the press release: The WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, on behalf of the fellowship of WCC member churches and the – …

With great sadness, news of the most recent sectarian violence against Coptic Christians reached the Diocese of Los Angeles this evening.At least seven people when a car bomb exploded outside St. Mark and St. Peter the Seal of Martyrs Coptic Church in Sidi Beshr, Alexandria. The explosion of the car bomb coincided with the faithful leaving church after services for the New Year. The Egyptian Interior Ministry currently estimates seven dead and twenty-four injured, but there – …

With great joy and enthusiasm, the St. Paul Brotherhood Press announces the release of its latest publication, The Sunday Gospels of Kiahk, part of the Treasures of the Church series.This book contains excerpts from patristic writings on the Sunday Gospels of the fourth blessed month of the Coptic Church year. In addition, the book features several commentaries and notes on the Coptic lectionary to enhance the believer’s understanding and appreciation of depth of the rites – …

Today, Pope Benedict XVI issued a statement in which he singled out Christians as the most persecuted religious group in the world, saying, “At present, Christians are the religious group which suffers most from persecution on account of its faith.”The statement was made in response to recent violence against Christians in Iraq and throughout the Middle East, including Egypt. He said, “Sadly, the year now ending has again been marked by persecution, discrimination, terrible acts – …

As the world follows the unfortunate events affecting Christians in Egypt and experiences the pain and injustice they face because of their faith, the Coptic Orthodox bishops of the United States, including Their Graces Bishop Serapion, Bishop Youssef, Bishop Macarious, Bishop David, and Bishop Michael have called for a Day of Prayer and Solidarity on Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.Confident in the promise of God that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against – …