10 - 16 January 2002
Issue No.568
|
Al-Ahram Weekly Online 10 - 16 January 2002 Issue No.568 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
PRAYER FOR PEACE
PRAYER FOR PEACE: It may have been a particularly cold Christmas for Copts this year, but that certainly did not detract from the festive atmosphere. Millions of Copts flocked to church to celebrate midnight mass on Christmas Eve on 6 January. The largest gathering was at the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Abbasiya, where Pope Shenoudah, accompanied by six bishops, led prayers.
photos: Salah Ibrahim and Khaled El-Fiqi
In his sermon, Pope Shenoudah praised President Hosni Mubarak's efforts to bring peace to the region, and expressed his deep sadness for the Palestinians and their suffering. Pope Shenoudah spoke of the need to build peace on a foundation of justice, saying it could never be built on bloodshed.
On Christmas day, Pope Shenoudah welcomed a host of official and religious representatives at the Cathedral, who came to wish the Patriarch and the Church a happy Christmas. Heading the official delegation was Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, accompanied by Fathi Sorour, speaker of the People's Assembly and Mustafa Kamal Helmi, speaker of the Shura Council, Youssef Wali, deputy prime minister, and other ministers. The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mohamed Sayed Tantawi also met with the Pope in a jovial gathering that included the Minister of Religious Endowments and representatives of various Islamic bodies.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page