His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, to Make His First Visit to North America

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Office of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II

Sep 04, 2014, 00:25 ET

New York City, NY and Toronto, ON (PRWEB) September 04, 2014 -- His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark has arrived in Toronto, ON, Canada today as a part of His Holiness’ first visit to North America. His Holiness was greeted and received at the airport by The Honorable Jason Kenny, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism, The Honorable Robert Dechert, member of the House of Commons as Representative of the Electoral District of Mississauga-Erindale, and Dr. Andrew P. W. Bennett, Ambassador to the Office of Religious Freedom. Pope Tawadros will be attending the 50th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the first Coptic Orthodox Church in North America, St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Toronto, ON, Canada. This celebration will include the consecration of the newly built St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Toronto, ON, Canada, which will be the largest Coptic Orthodox Cathedral outside Egypt, and the second largest cathedral in Canada. Several dignitaries are expected to attend the event, including the Right Honorable Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mayor Frank Scarpitti of the City of Markham, other dignitaries from Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments, and the leaders from neighboring communities.

St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church was established in 1964 by the late Pope Kyrollos VI. Under the auspice of His Holiness Pope Kyrollos VI the Very Reverend Father Marcos A. Marcos was ordained as the first priest for the Copts in all North America. At the time, Father Marcos resided in Toronto, but served the Copts across the continent alone for nearly three years during the late 1960s. By the grace of God, the first seeds sown by Fr. Marcos 50 years ago, have now flourished into 37 Coptic Orthodox parishes in Canada and more than 200 in the U.S.A. Fr. Marcos continues to serve his congregation today and has expressed his joy in welcoming His Holiness Pope Tawadros II as the church celebrates its very important milestone.

We pray for the safety of His Holiness during his travels and upon his return.

The Coptic Orthodox Church is of the Apostolic Faith and one of the oldest in the world, having been established by the Apostle Saint Mark in the middle of the first century and establishing some of the oldest traditions of Christianity. The head of the Coptic Orthodox Church is the 118th Pope of Alexandria and of the Holy See of Saint Mark, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II. The Coptic Orthodox Church continues to flourish with churches and communities established in 53 countries.

Request for further information and inquiries should be directed to:
Father Abraham Azmy
Office of His Holiness
Director of US International Media Relations
Fr.abraham(at)popetawadros(dot)yaorg
001 (203) 887-8865

Father Abraham Azmy, Office of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, 001 (203) 887-8865, [email protected]