His Holiness Pope Tawadros II Consecrates St. Mina’s Church Bucharest, Romania
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark consecrated the Church of Saint Mina the Martyr in the Romanian capital, Bucharest — the first Coptic Orthodox church in Romania. This event took place as part of His Holiness’s current pastoral visit to the country, which is part of a wider pastoral tour of the Diocese of Central Europe that began on April 25.
Joining His Holiness in the consecration prayers and the Divine Liturgy that followed were His Grace Bishop Giovanni, Bishop of the Diocese of Central Europe, along with 11 Coptic Orthodox bishops serving in various European dioceses, whom His Holiness had met yesterday to discuss the role and service of the Coptic Church in Europe. Also participating in the prayers were His Grace Bishop Fam and His Grace Bishop Axios, both accompanying the Pope on his pastoral visit.
The consecration included the church’s three altars: the main (central) altar in the name of Saint Mina the Martyr, the northern altar in the name of Saint Pope Cyril VI, and the southern altar in the name of the Virgin Mary. The church icons and altar vessels were also consecrated.
In his sermon during the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness noted that the Church divides the Holy Fifty Days (Pentecost period) into five Sundays. He said, “Last week, we celebrated the Sunday of Faith or the Renewal of Faith, and tomorrow, Sunday, we celebrate the ‘Sunday of the Bread,’ during which the Church presents to us the miracle of feeding the multitudes.”
His Holiness posed the question: “Are you spiritually satisfied with Christ? Do you feel full spiritually? Christ alone can satisfy the thirsty and hungry soul, for He said: ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled’ (Matthew 5:6).”
He then outlined four sources of spiritual nourishment:
1. The Holy Bible:
“The Bible is the first means of spiritual fulfillment,” said the Pope, quoting the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart’ (Jeremiah 15:16). The more we feed on God's Word, the more we are filled inwardly. The Gospel is not only for blessings but is daily spiritual nourishment. Don't let a day pass without reading from your Bible.”…
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