Under the patronage of Fathers Kamal Labib, and Milad Shehata, regional minister and Director of the Franciscan Cultural Center for Coptic Studies the Franciscan Order in Egypt, in cooperation with the Coptic Orthodox church, organized the third annual meeting of monks and nuns of Egypt under the title of stability and honesty in the monastic life at the Nile Hall in the Catholic Cinema Center in San Joseph.
In a wondrous spiritual serenity, the Orthodox and Catholic monastic institutions met together to discuss the essence of their life. Monasticism: the love of God and the service of the neighbor with all spirit, humility and love.
The meeting was attended by the Organizing Committee and number of Catholic and Orthodox monks and nuns, including Their Eminences Bishop Antonios Aziz, Bishop of Giza for Catholic Copts, Vatican Ambassador to Egypt, Bishop Bruno Mozar, Bishop Ermia, General Bishop and Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center, Bishop Makary Bishop of South Shubra, Bishop Daniel Bishop and Abbot of St. Paula Monastery, Monks of St. Mina Monastery in the desert of Mariout, Monks of Al-Baramus monastery in Wadi Al-Natroun, Monks of St. Paula Monastery in the Red Sea, Monks of St. Makarios of Alexandria Monastery in Wadi Rayan, Nuns of Prince Tadros Monastery Haret al-Rum, Nuns of St. George Monastery in Zuwaila, Nuns of St. Mercurius Monastery, Nuns of St. George Monastery in Ancient Egypt and a group of Catholic church in Egypt.
The meeting began with morning prayer and then the speech of the Organizing Committee in which they welcomed the attendees and reviewed the previous meetings. The first meeting, which was held in December 2015 under the title of Monastic Life Prayer and Message and the second meeting which took place in December 2016 entitled Monastic life a testimony of joy.
Then was the speech of the Vatican’s Ambassador, Bishop Bruno Mozar, in which he spoke about restoring the life of consecration and returning to Jesus Christ fountain of living water, the source of joy and steadfastness.
Bishop Ermia, General Bishop and Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center, thanked the Franciscan Fathers for this conference which brings together the children of St. Anthony the Great, the founder of the monastic order.
He referred to the principles of monasticism which we received from St. Anthony the Great, namely, the voluntary poverty, Obedience, chastity and that monasticism is the preoccupation with speaking to God and listening to him. The monk must listen to the voice of God in his heart, in his own nature, and turns to nature around him to find peace, meditation and prayer
At the end of the meeting, Father Kamal Labib, the regional minister of the Franciscan monks in Egypt, thanked the Organizing Committee, and guests , and asked Bishop Antonios Aziz and Bishop Makari to pray and give the blessing.
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