Ahmed al Tayyeb, great Imam of Al Azhar, personally went to express his Easter greetings to Orthodox Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II

Ahmed al Tayyeb, great Imam of Al Azhar, personally went to express his Easter greetings to Orthodox Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II. (Fides).

In Egypt, Coptic churches - who follow the Julian calendar - are celebrating Holy Week. In view of Easter, greetings and good wishes are expressed to the Copts by representatives of institutions.

Even Ahmed al Tayyeb, great Imam of Al Azhar, went to the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo to personally express his Easter greetings to Orthodox Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II.

And in the imminence of the Christian solemnity, also pastoral initiatives flourish in the large North African country: in recent days, some Coptic Orthodox priests of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Minya, Upper Egypt, decided to leave their parishes to go to celebrate moments of prayer in the streets, in cafes and in public places, in order to announce the Passion and the Resurrection of Christ to the many baptized who do not attend churches and sanctuaries even on the occasion of the liturgical solemnities.

The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Minya presented this initiative on its website as an attempt to reach Christians, especially among many young people, who do not usually attend the parishes.

"This is an initiative that may seem unusual in a country overwhelmingly Muslim, always threatened by sectarian conflicts" refers to Agenzia Fides Anba Botros Fahim Awad Hanna, Coptic Catholic Bishop of Minya, "and it is obvious that it can be done with freedom and serenity in residential areas and villages only by Christian citizens.

But it still represents a sign of apostolic vitality: many young people have no real contact with the life of the Church and its liturgical and sacramental dynamics. So instead of waiting for them in a parish, we gently try to reach them, in places where they live and prefer to spend their time". (GV) (

Egypt - Christian church in Luxor destroyed by fire one week before Orthodox Easter.

Egypt - Christian church in Luxor destroyed by fire one week before Orthodox Easter. (EI).

A huge fire broke out at the Coptic Catholic Church of Mar-Girgis church in Luxor at dawn yesterday Wednesday 20 April. Raafat Samir, a Luxor rights activist, gave Watani an account of the incident.

According to Mr Samir, at 5.00am Wednesday, the priests residing on the second floor of the building adjacent to the church, which serves as a community center and a home for the church pastor—felt extreme heat emanating from the church.

They rushed to the church, and found out that a huge fire had completely eaten up the interior of the church and that only the outer door remained. The fire had also devoured the first floor of the service building and was pushing up to the second. Even the marble on the walls of the church, Mr Samir said, had fallen off.

Mr Samir said the official report by the Luxor building administration will determine whether or not the ruined church should be demolished; and it will be the responsibly of Luxor Governor Muhammad Badr to grant a rebuilding or renovation permit.

According to Mar-Girgis’s Father Stephanous, the forensic authority is investigating the reason behind the fire.

He insists he had checked the church before closing it on the eve of the fire, and made sure there were no burning candles. He then switched off all the electric switches.

Fr Stephanous told ++Watani++ that Governor Badr visited the church after the fire and promised to issue permits for its demolition and rebuilding.

Video - Orthodox Christians gather in Jerusalem for Holy Saturday: Holy Fire 2015

Video - Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Christ is risen indeed! Amen!

Holy Fire set to take over Old City of Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Holy Fire set to take over Old City of Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.(JPost).Easter in Israel is unique in many ways, but probably the most significant tradition that occurs only in the Holy Land is the widely awaited tradition of the Holy Fire ceremony. The special ceremony takes place on the Saturday before Orthodox Easter, and captures center stage once again during this holiday's season in Jerusalem for local Christians plus the thousands of believers who make a special pilgrimage to the Holy Land for Easter. The Holy Fire Ceremony is the culmination of Lenten and Easter event, as it represents the moment when the spirit of Jesus fills the tomb site in the Holy Sepulchre. According to beliefs of many, a flame appears in the tomb, which is caught by the Greek patriarch and an Armenian Orthodox priest and is then shared with congregants holding candles in the church who then pass this flame from one person to another. Because this event is specific to Jerusalem geographically, it is not celebrated anywhere else in the world. Many Orthodox pilgrims from Greece, Russia, Armenia, Eastern Europe and the United States line up as early as the day before. Even non-Christians as well as locals will often join in the celebrations in an effort to get inside the Holy Sepulchre for the very special ceremony. All of the churches have a procession through the narrow Old City streets to the Holy Sepulchre on the morning of the Holy Fire Ceremony. Holy Fire is celebrated on the Saturday before Easter Sunday (Orthodox Easter) and is referred to as Saturday of Light, or Sapt il-Noor. Holy Fire is celebrated on the Saturday before Easter Sunday (Orthodox Easter) and is referred to as Saturday of Light, or Sapt il-Noor. The ceremony is observed only by the Eastern Orthodox churches, Syrian, Armenian, Russian and Greek Orthodox as well as Copts. Catholics and Protestants do not participate. Eastern Orthodoxy religion considers Holy Fire a regularly occurring event as it has occurred at the same time in the same place annually for centuries. The first written account of the Holy Fire dates from the 4th century while accounts from 1106 and 1107 by the Russian Abbot Daniel describe a similar ceremony. Matthew 28:3, makes note of the Holy Fire and says that at Jesus' tomb, an angel of the Lord appeared whose appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.Read the full story here.

 Video - Јerusalem 2011 - Holy Fire. (Russian).