|
Previous Page
<<<
THE CHURCH TODAY
Towards the end of the 19th century,
the Coptic Church underwent phases of
new development. In 1853, Pope Cyril
IV established the first modern Coptic
school, including the first Egyptian
school for girls. He also founded a
printing press, which was the second
national press in the country. Pope
Cyril IV established very friendly
relations with other denominations, to
the extent that when the Greek
Patriarch in Egypt had to absent
himself for a long period of time
outside the country, he left his
Church under the guidance of the
Coptic Patriarch.
The Theological College of the School
of Alexandria was reestablished in
1893. It began its new history with
five student, one of whom was later to
become its dean. Today it has campuses
in Alexandria, Cairo, and various
dioceses throughout Egypt, as well as
outside Egypt, in New Jersey, Los
Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne and London,
where potential clergymen and other
qualified men and women are taught
many subjects, among which are
theology, church history, missionary
studies, and Coptic language.
Today the Coptic Orthodox Church is
the largest Church in the Middle East,
with about 12 million faithful in
Egypt. There is an increasing number
of monks and nuns in monasteries and
convents in the deserts of Egypt, and
an increasing number of well educated
young men and women who are
consecrating their lives to the
ministry as parish priests, monks,
nuns, deacons, and deaconesses.
The Holy Synod of the Coptic Church is
now made up of 90 metropolitans and
bishops, headed by His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III who came to the
Patriarchate in 1971.
The Coptic Church is an active member
of the World Council of Churches (WCC),
the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC),
the All Africa Conference of Churches
(AACC), the Australian Councill of
Churches, Churches Together in Britain
and Ireland, and many other such
international, regional, national, and
local bodies. It was the founding
member of the Middle East Council of
Churches in 1974 under the leadership
of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III.
His Holiness, being a
great ambassador of the Coptic Church,
and Christendom in general, was
recently president of the WCC for a
seven year period, and remains one of
the presidents of the MECC.
In this same spirit, the Coptic Church
is currently engaged in either
official or unofficial dialogues with
most Christian Churches and
denominations, continuing its work for
unity and the reuniting of the one,
holy, universal Church.
As the head of the oldest Church in
Africa, Pope Shenouda was keen to
extend the Apostolic Mission of St.
Mark across all Africa. In June 1976,
His Holiness ordained a bishop for
African Affairs to commence missionary
work among the African tribes in
Kenya. Today there are over 14 Coptic
church, two monasteries, a clinic, and
a vocational center in Kenya, Zambia,
Zaire, and the surrounding regions as
well as churches in Zimbabwe, Namibia,
and South Africa. In 1955, a Bishop
for Mission was also consecrated to
further this growing ministry.
Outside Egypt, there are over 80
churches in the United States, as well
as two theological colleges and a
monastery in California, while in
Canada there are 21 churches. There
are over 20 churches in Australia
alongside two monasteries, two Coptic
Theological Colleges, and a number of
Coptic schools. In Europe, there are
over fifty churches across twelve
countries. There are now established
several Coptic monasteries in Germany,
Italy, and France. The United Kingdom
now ha over fifteen churches, a
retreat center in Birmingham and a
Church Centre and Theological College
in Stevenage.
An important indication of the success
and growth of the ministry of the
Coptic Church outside Egypt is the
growing number of her children who
have been brought up in various
countries and are now becoming monks,
nuns, priests, and bishops. They serve
their own churches and the Church at
large as people who have lived in
these communities and have an in-depth
knowledge of their language, people
and culture.
As an important pastoral note, the
Coptic Church is now appointing
bishops to oversee various diocese and
areas around the world, ensuring more
concentrated local pastoral care.
There are currently 4 bishops across
the U.S., 2 in Australia, 2 in France,
2 in Italy, 1 in Germany, 1 in
Switzerland, 1 in Austria, 2 in
Africa, and 4 in the United Kingdom.
As the ministry grows and expands, we
can be sure of seeing many more such
appointments in the coming years.
In considering all of the above
mentioned facts, it is obvious that
the Coptic Orthodox Church has been
blessed with a very firm foundation
which has lead it to grow in many
directions, maintaining her care for
her children throughout the past
twenty centuries and leading them into
the twenty-first century with the
approach of intensified educational
and pastoral care. This approach
ensures the continued line of
Traditional and Apostolic Orthodoxy
faithfully handed down from generation
to generation, and maintains the role
of the Church in spreading the message
of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
and professing the Salvation which He
has provided for us through the
ultimate sacrifice of the Cross, and
His glorious Resurrection. It is also
obvious that the Lord has kept and
protected the Church through wave
after wave of persecution, maintaining
her as a devoted witness to His divine
and joyful message throughout the
ages.
We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ,
the true incarnate Word of God, grant
His Church continued protection and
guidance for years to come, in
preparation for the glory of His
triumphant Second Coming, that He may
then guide us into His everlasting
kingdom with the joyful words “Come,
you blessed of My Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world.” (Matthew
25:34)
Previous Page
<<<
|
