First Coptic church in Hungary consecrated
By: MTI
2011-08-23 13:20
Pope Shenouda III, the leader of the Coptic Christian community, consecrated the first Coptic church in Hungary on Sunday.
The Coptic Pope, as he is called in the Egyptian religious community, consecrated the church in a three-hour ceremony in the presence of five Coptic bishops and hundreds of faithful in Budapest's 18th district amid tight security measures.
The church was dedicated to Mother of God, the Holy Virgin Mary, and Archangel Michael.
The Coptic Pope prayed for the ill, those on the way, the air and the crops, the dead and the victims as well as for peace, the religious community and the president of Egypt, then consecrated all the three altars, the altar-cloths, the holy chalices, the icons and the paintings in the church.
Two hundred believers who failed to enter the crowded church followed the liturgy on a huge screen.
Pope Shenouda III, head of the Christian church which was founded, according to tradition, by Saint Mark, arrived in Hungary on Friday on the invitation of Deputy Premier Zsolt Semjen to attend celebrations on Saint Stephen's Day, Hungary's national holiday of August 20.
Pope Shenouda III met President Pal Schmitt and Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and held talks with Semjen.
The deputy prime minister described the Coptic Pope's visit as an outstanding event of dialogue between Eastern and Western churches.
Pope Shenouda III called the consecration an important milestone from the aspect of his church's presence in Eastern Europe.
Expressing pleasure over the warm welcome in Hungary, he said, "I would like to maintain friendly relations with Hungarians throughout my life."
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WATANI International
Victor Salama
21 August 2011
Last Sunday, Pope Shenouda III inaugurated the first Coptic Orthodox Church in Hungary, in Budapest’s eighteenth district. The Pope presided over an evening service ceremony during which he anointed and consecrated the altar and the icons.
Pope Shenouda had arrived at Budapest two days earlier to a warm, resounding welcome by Europe’s Coptic community, some of whom had come to the city especially for the occasion. The Pope was accompanied by the bishops Anba Rweiss, Anba Boutros, Anba You’annis, Anba Ermiya, and Father Boutros Boutros Gayed.
On Friday 19 August, Pope Shenouda III was granted an honorary doctorate degree by Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest. The university president György Fodor was joined by Cardinal Péter Erdő in handing the degree to the Pope, for his outstanding academic work in humanities, especially in literature, philosophy and history of sciences.
Pope Shenouda had been invited by the Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén to take part in the 20 August celebrations for the national day of Hungary. He participated in the official ceremony at the parliament building where he met President Pál Schmitt who decorated the Pope with the Hungarian medal of State. He then joined Zsolt Semjén to attend Mass in St Stephen's Basilica.
The Pope then headed to the Egyptian embassy in Budapest where a reception was held in his honour.
Mr Semjén, who is also responsible for religious affairs, said that the visit by Pope Shenouda III to Hungary was a landmark event in East-West religious dialogue.
Sunday saw the Pope’s visit to Budapest come to an end, following which he flew to the United States for a pastoral visit, as well as for medical consultations at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
Earlier this year, the Pope was awarded Germany’s Augsburg Peace Prize for 2011. The prize is awarded every three years to individuals who contributed significantly to the cause of peaceful coexistence between different communities. Pope Shenouda was chosen for his role in building bridges between the Copts and Muslims in Egypt
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Coptic church leader, Pope Shenouda III received Honorary Doctorate Degree at Pázmány Péter Catholic University
Friday, August 19, 2011
Pázmány Péter Catholic University has granted Honorary Doctorate Degree to Coptic cleric Pope Shenouda III, on Friday in Budapest.
The Faculty of Arts degree has been handed over to Pope Shenouda III, by the president of the institution, György Fodor and Cardinal Péter Erdő. The doctorate degree has been granted to His Holiness for his outstanding academic work in humanities, especially in literature, philosophy and history of sciences.
The Coptic cleric has arrived to Hungary for the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén to take part in the August 20th national celebrations.
The Coptic church leader will view the August 20th official ceremonies from the parliament building then he meets President Pál Schmitt.
On August 20, His Holiness meets Zsolt Semjén and attend the holiday Mass in the St Stephen's Basilica.
Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén who is also responsible for religious affairs said that Pope Shenouda III and the five Coptic Bishop's visit to Hungary is a landmark event in East-West religious dialog.
On the last day of his tour, on Sunday Pope Shenouda III inaugurates the first Coptic Christian church in Budapest's eighteenth district.
Zsolt Semjén called the 88 year old leader of the Coptic church a highly educated man with knowledge of Western culture. Between 1956 and 1962 he lived as a hermit, and in 1971 he was elected as the leader of the Coptic church.
Pope Shenouda III, even today actively participates in Egyptian public life and often expresses strong opinions in national issues.
He visited Hungary the first time in 1996, and as a monk toured the Pannonhalma Abbey.
The Coptic Church was founded by Saint Mark, who was the bishop and the first martyr of Alexandria.
(MTI – hungarianambiace.com)
Posted by HungarianAmbiance at 5:53 PM
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First Coptic church in Hungary consecrated
Pope Shenouda III, head of the Christian church which was founded, according to tradition, by Saint Mark, arrived in Hungary on Friday on the invitation of Deputy Premier Zsolt Semjen to attend celebrations on Saint Stephen's Day, Hungary's national holiday of August 20.
