His Beatitude Pope Tawadros II, Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria, visited the Patriarchal Palace and the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest on Wednesday. The Egyptian guest was received by Patriarch Daniel, who wished him a pleasant stay in Bucharest and at the nearby monasteries.
Patriarch Tawadros II is visiting Romania as part of a pastoral visit to the Coptic Diocese of Central Europe.
During the meeting with the Coptic Patriarch, His Beatitude, Patriarch Daniel, emphasised the strong relationship and collaboration between the two Churches.
“Relations between the Coptic Church and the Romanian Orthodox Church have deepened especially through the friendship between Patriarch and Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria and Patriarch Teoctist of Romania after 1990,” Patriarch Daniel noted.
His Beatitude also expressed appreciation for the collaboration with the Coptic Church in organizing pilgrimages to Egypt through Basilica Travel. Speaking about the Coptic community in Bucharest, Patriarch Daniel noted that Father Mina Ataas maintains good relations with Romanian Orthodox parishes, built on mutual respect and practical social cooperation.
“We Visit and Learn from the Romanian Orthodox Church”
In turn, Patriarch Tawadros expressed great joy for his visit to Romania and mentioned that he had read extensively about the history of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
“I am glad to visit, along with my delegation, some of the Romanian monasteries. We come from the Coptic Church, founded by Saint Mark the Apostle, from the land of Saint Anthony the Great, the guide of monks.”
Patriarch Tawadros emphasized that, over time, the Coptic Church has produced many martyrs, much like the Romanian Orthodox Church.
“We need to visit and learn from the Romanian Orthodox Church,” said the Coptic Patriarch, expressing thanks for the warm welcome.
His Beatitude also invited the Patriarch of Romania to visit Egypt.
Patriarch Daniel presented the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria with an icon depicting Saint Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest, and the Order of “Saint Andrew the Apostle, Protector of Romania.”
In return, Patriarch Tawadros gifted Patriarch Daniel a model of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria and two icons illustrating the Flight into Egypt.
The Egyptian delegation then discussed the current life and mission of the Coptic Church with His Eminence Hon Metropolitan Nifon, Archbishop of Târgoviște and Patriarchal Exarch.
After the meeting at the Patriarchal Palace, the Egyptian delegation visited the nearby Cernica and Pasărea Monasteries in Ilfov County.
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Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
