
Photo Credit: Diocese of Egypt
At the invitation of The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis of the Episcopal / Anglican Church in Egypt, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark inaugurated an art exhibition “The Way of Salvation” curated by Dr. Farid Fadel at the All Saints Cathedral Hall in Zamalek.
“The visit is historical,” Bishop Mouneer said, “because it comes three days before we celebrate the Feast of St. Mark on which All Saints Cathedral was consecrated.
The visit coincides with our 75thAnniversary of All Saints Cathedral which was first consecrated in 1938. This reminds us of the agreement that was signed by The Pope of Alexandria and the Archbishop of Canterbury early in the 19th Century when the Anglican Church started its ministry in Egypt.
The visit of His Holiness affirms the depth of relations between the two churches. “We see the Coptic Orthodox Church as the ‘Mother Church of Egypt.’ She has given many martyrs for the sake of Christ and kept the orthodox faith over the centuries and in the face of many heresies.”
The visit Pope Tawadros II gives us several messages: the first is that the Pope believes in the unity of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. “He does not only believe, but he works for the sake of unity. He was the one who launched the establishment of the Egypt Council of Church on 18 February 2013. Today, by His Holiness’ presence among us, he affirms the importance of churches working together,” Bishop Mouneer added.
The second message is that the church encourages art as a way of expressing the story of God’s love for humanity. Today, the eleven artists who participated in this exhibition show us story of salvation, which is very relevant as we continue to celebrate Easter. “I am sure that the presence of His Holiness at this occasion is a great encouragement to all artists.”