Patriarchs of Eastern Orthodox Churches Arrive in Cairo to Commemorate Council of Nicaea

This evening, Their Holinesses the Patriarchs arrived at Cairo International Airport:

● Mar Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East of the Syriac Orthodox Church,

● and Catholicos Aram I Keshishian, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia of the Armenian Orthodox Church (Antelias - Lebanon),

They were accompanied by His Grace Bishop Mar Awgin Al-Khouri Neemat, the Antiochian Patriarchal Secretary, His Grace Bishop Mar Nicodemus Daoud Matti Sharaf, Archbishop of Mosul, Kirkuk, and Kurdistan Region for the Syriac Orthodox Church, and His Grace Bishop Mar Justinus Paul Sfar, Bishop of Zahle and the Bekaa for the Syriac Orthodox Church.

The visit comes to participate in the celebratory Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox Family in the Middle East, commemorating the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, which will be held on Sunday morning, May 18, at the Great St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbasiya, presided over by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

The delegation will also participate in the 14th meeting of the Permanent Committee of the Patriarchs of the Eastern Orthodox Churches in the Middle East, held at the Papal Headquarters at Anba Rouis.

 Upon arrival at the airport, the delegation was received by:

His Grace Anba Thomas, Metropolitan of Qousiya and Mir, member of the Permanent Committee and Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches,

His Eminence Mar Ekleems Daniel Correa, Metropolitan of Beirut for the Syriac Orthodox Church,

His Grace Bishop Mar Timothy Matti Al-Khouri, Metropolitan of Homs, Hama, and Tartous and Acting Patriarchal Vicar of Egypt,

His Eminence Metropolitan Mar Nikolaos Matti Abd Al-Ahad, Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Spain,

His Eminence Metropolitan Narek Alemzian, Metropolitan of the Armenian Orthodox in Lebanon,

His Eminence Metropolitan Macar Ashkarian, Metropolitan of the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Aleppo and its dependencies,

Reverend Father Philips Issa, Priest of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Cairo,

Mr. Elias Shahrour, President of the Syriac Orthodox Council in Egypt,

and Deacon Jamil Malouh, Deputy of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Cairo.