Coptic Church & Ecumenical Movement - Saint Mina Coptic ...

Conducted every 5 years, the assemblies constitute the main policy making body of
the council. The inaugural assembly was in Cyprus in 1974 with the theme: One
Common Christian Message Today. In 1977 the theme of the 2 nd assembly was: He
Gave Us The Ministry Of Reconciliation. Your Kingdom Come was the theme of the
3 rd assembly in Cyprus in 1980. Bishop Samuel was elected President of the Council.
Thereafter the theme was The Living Hope in 1985. The 5 th general assembly in
January 1990 had the theme: Keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bonds of Peace.
Representing the Coptic Church was Metropolitan Bishoy of Damiette, Bishop
Benjamin, Bishop Paula, Bishop Moussa and Bishop Marcos.
My peace I give you, my peace I leave with you was the theme of the 6 th assembly of
the MECC, in Cyprus in November 1994. His Holiness Pope Shenouda headed the
Coptic delegation, which included, Metropolitan Abraham of Jerusalem, Metropolitan
Bishoy of Damiette, Bishop Benjamin, Bishop Moussa, Bishop Marcos and Mr.
Samir Marcos. A significant feature of this assembly was the admission of the
Catholic Church to the Council. At the conclusion of the assembly His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III was elected one of the Presidents of the Council representing the
Oriental Orthodox family.
The jubilee assembly was held in Lebanon in May 1999 under the theme: Jesus Christ
is the Same Yesterday, Today and Forever (Hebrew 13: 8). The Coptic delegation
consisted of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Metropolitan Abraham of Jerusalem,
Metropolitan Bishoy of Damiette, Bishop Moussa, Bishop Marcos, Bishop Raphael,
Mr. Samir Marcos, Mr. Girgis Saleh. Pope Shenouda III was re-elected one of the
Presidents of the Council to serve a further five years.
HEADS OF CHURCHES MEETING
From January 23 rd -25 th 1998 there met in Nicosia, Cyprus, a remarkable conclave –
the leaders of the churches of the Middle East came together for a working session.
All but three of the region’s leaders attended in person and those three sent high-level
deputies.
As guests of His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos, the working sessions were
convened in the hall of the Holy Synod of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church
of Cyprus located in the Archbishopric in the sadly divided city of Nicosia. There
they were surrounded by magnificent frescoes executed in iconographic style
depicting scenes from the gospels, a fitting setting for what they had come together to
undertake.
The idea of bringing together the heads of churches had been generated during a
meeting of the presidents and honorary presidents of the Middle East Council of
Churches in Damascus during May 1997 itself a landmark event.
This meeting was remarkable for its inclusiveness and for the fact that it was a
working session, and has been likened to the Council of Nicea of the 5 th century.
While that ancient council drew tighter churches from throughout the then-known
world where the Church had taken root (predominantly what we now know as the
modern Middle East), times have changed. Now the Church is far more widely
dispersed. But for the Middle East – both Christian and Muslim – and particularly for
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