Following the service, the coffin of Anba Sawiris was taken to the monastery in Assiut, where it was placed in the ancient church of the Holy Virgin. The bishops who had come to attend the funeral service at the monastery joined the monk assembly of al-Muharraq in the old church for Midnight Praise at 1:30am, after which they prayed Holy Mass.
At 11am Sunday morning the funeral service started in the church of Mar-Girgis in the monastery, since the church of the Holy Virgin was deemed too small to accommodate the attendants.
Assiut Governor Yasser Dessouqi was again there. Participating in the service were a number of bishops: Anba Raphail, head of the Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod; Anba Kyrillos of Naja Hammadi; Anba Pola of Tanta; Anba Yu’annis of Assiut; Anba Ghabrial of Beni Sweif; Anba Stephanos of al-Fashn; Anba Timotheus of Zagazig, Anba Zusima of Etfeeh; Anba Karas of Mehalla al-Kubra; Anba Boqtor of al-Wadi al-Gadeed; and Anba Kyrillos William, the Coptic Catholic Bishop of Assiut. Abbots of Egyptian monasteries also participated, as did the monk of al-Muharraq.
The words said in honour of Anba Sawiris focused in the main part on his love, care, and fatherliness. More than once speakers’ voices broke in emotion.
