The Coptic tradition
Bessie White writes about joy and faith in Stevenage and Hounslow
A few years ago I visited the St George Coptic Cathedral in Stevenage as part of an interfaith coach outing. On that occasion the curtains in front of the sanctuary were closed and, although the icons on the screen were beautiful, the space felt nothing out of the ordinary.
How different a place of worship is when it is in use, and even more so when filled with an expectant congregation to welcome a special guest. Recently, pope Tawadros II, the Coptic Christian leader, was here to celebrate the service of Raising the Evening Incense at the start of his first pastoral visit to the UK. I accompanied Anne van Staveren, media relations officer at Friends House, on behalf of Britain Yearly Meeting, along with media officers from other churches and a great many other guests representing churches and interfaith organisations in this country.
The engaging service was led by energetic singing from a male choir in white robes and red damask sashes, accompanied only by cymbals and triangle. The sanctuary was open to reveal the altar and glorious wall painting behind. Much of the text was in English and, where it was not, we had a translation in our order of service.
Saint Mark founded the Coptic Church (Coptic means Egyptian) early in the first century AD. It is known as ‘the church of martyrs’, for it has suffered much persecution and discrimination over its long history – as we have seen only too recently. Yet, the church strives to remain joyful and forgiving, and stresses that ‘without the cross, there is no joy’. The church asks: ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?’
After the formal service, messages of support were read from Theresa May, the prime minister, and Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury. We heard in person from senior representatives of the Syrian and Russian Orthodox Churches and the Egyptian ambassador to the UK. The Russian ambassador was in the congregation. Kevin McDonald, an archbishop emeritus of the Catholic Church, spoke and John Sentamu, the archbishop of York, gave a rousing contribution. Anba Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, noted that every invitation to this event had been sent to a named person. ‘We are all friends,’ he said.
The faithfulness of the Coptic Church was stressed, as was its forgiving and compassionate response to the violent attacks by jihadist extremists. Isis claimed responsibility for two bomb blasts that struck Coptic churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday, killing at least forty-seven people. The contribution of the Copts to British society was applauded. They are a model of the tradition of tolerance in the UK, which has been a place of sanctuary for them.
St George Cathedral may be a new building, but it continues the tradition of bringing people together across the spectrum. Their enemies target not just a faith but also a way of life. But what they find is Christian power and resilience. Pope Tawadros spoke of the need for love in this time of terrorism and technological threat.
Two days later I had the privilege of attending a second service officiated by pope Tawadros. This was for the consecration of a new Coptic church in my home area in Hounslow, west London. (I have met the local priest, father Morkos, through the local interfaith group, and members of the Coptic church joined our annual interfaith walk in 2016.)
The pope was again accompanied by bishop Angaelos, and a number of bishops from Egypt were also present. Again, the male choir sang joyfully, and the women in the congregation ululated enthusiastically at key moments in the service. The pope and other members of the clergy literally rolled up their sleeves to spread holy oil on the square altar in the sanctuary and each icon was anointed with a long roller. Quaker Ruth Cadbury, a parliamentary candidate for Brentford and Isleworth, and Charanjit Ajit Singh, chair of Hounslow Friends of Faith, made brief speeches of congratulation.
Notwithstanding references to peace, love and resilience in the face of attack, no chances were taken over security at either visit, with car searches, bag checks and armed police in Stevenage.
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