Decisions and Recommendations of the Holy Synod at June 2016 meeting

On Thursday morning, June 16, 2016, under the patronage of the Pope, The final plenary session of the Holy Synod resulted a group of decisions and recommendations:

First: Holy Synod decisions

1- Election of Bishop Rafael to be the secretary of the Holy Synod and the election of the Secretariat of the Synod 
– HG Bishop Tomas of Al-Qowisa and Mir
– HG Bishop Youssef of Southern States
– HG Bishop Apollo of South of Sinai States
for a period of three years

2- Decisions regarding the recognition of the monasteries:
– Recognition of St. Demiana and Anba Moises monastery of  nuns  in the Diocese of Balyana.
– Recognition of Virgin Mary and St. Demiana monastery in Danville -Atlanta- Southern USA Diocese
– Recognition of St. Moussa monastery on ElAlamin road

Second: Holy Synod recommendation
1. Family committee recommendation:
– Review all advice centers in the Evangelism to unify a certified curriculum and determining accredited centers by the church to issue the necessary certificates  to the ones who completed the marriage courses and the certificates will be compulsory from July 2017
2. Care and service committee recommendation:
– Churches commitment to employ five percent of disabled people in the church projects as much as possible
3. Ritual committee recommendation:
– The inclusion of Virgin Mary apparition in Edfu – Diocese of Aswan – in 1982 within the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the Coptic Church.
– Liturgical prayers has it’s sanctity,dignity and reverence therefore the Committee recommended not to go out of decency, and not to practice it using sculptures and statues, ext…
– Establishing  a school for deacons in every Diocese and the minimum age for Abesalts ordination to be 6 years old and to be ordained at any rank by his bishop
– Not to add or delete any phrase in Mass rituals without the approval of the Holy Synod
– Every priest rank has it’s special clothes so the committee ask priests and bishops to commit with the clothes as stated in the Coptic church