Archbishop Dr. Samy Fawzy prayed for Egypt, saying: “We pray that God grants us the strength through His Resurrection to face all circumstances and hardships.”
He continued during the Easter Mass sermon: “We pray for His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and all his aides and decision-makers, that God grants them wisdom and clear vision to continue their national and humanitarian role in ending the war and saving our people in Gaza from the claws of war and aggression. We continue to pray for Egypt’s efforts and leadership to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza, and that God blesses all the efforts with success.”
The Archbishop went on to say: “We lift up our prayers for the people of Palestine and Sudan amid the ongoing wars in Gaza and Sudan. May God remove all the effects of war, bring His peace to their beloved lands, and protect their people and countries from all harm and danger.”
The Archbishop expressed gratitude to:
•President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who sent Mr. Mohamed Mokhtar Amin as his representative;
•Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, who delegated Dr. Mohamed Abu Zaid Al-Amir, former Vice President of Al-Azhar University and General Coordinator of the Egyptian Family House;
•Minister of Interior Mahmoud Tawfik, who sent greetings and delegated Major General Mohamed Ouda to attend the Divine Liturgy and extend holiday greetings.
Thanks were also extended to:
•His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, for his Easter greetings;
•Dr. Nazir Ayyad, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, who sent Dr. Amr El-Shal from Dar Al-Ifta on his behalf.
The Archbishop praised:
•Cairo Governor Dr. Ibrahim Saber and his team for their greetings;
•Mr. Mohamed Osman El-Imam, head of Cairo’s Western District, for his continuous efforts in organizing the celebration and beautifying the area around the cathedral;
•Major General Hussein Bilal, Assistant Minister of Interior and Director of Cairo Security, as well as national security and police officers for their efforts in securing the cathedral and its surroundings;
•Reverend Dr. Andrea Zaki, President of the Evangelical Community in Egypt, for his Easter greetings.
Thanks were also given to the Bible Society of Egypt, represented by Mr. Adel Ezzat and Mr. Rami Gad.
Special thanks were extended to political parties celebrating the holiday, especially the Free Egyptians Party and the Egyptian Liberal Party.
Lastly, the Archbishop expressed deep appreciation to the print, audio, and visual media, with special thanks to the press, news agencies, and satellite channels, as well as to Alkarma TV for broadcasting the Divine Liturgy live.