On Thursday morning, January 16, 2025, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II anointed the relics of 14 Coptic Orthodox Patriarchs at the Monastery of Saint Macarius in the Scetis Desert. This was followed by their transfer to the new booth that was prepared for them in the ancient monastery church.
This comes on the occasion of the commemoration of the consecration of the monastery church itself, in 655 AD, by Pope Benyamin I, the 38th Patriarch.
Before the anointing, His Holiness the Pope inspected the coffins in which the 14 Patriarchs were placed. Each Patriarch was placed in a wooden coffin topped with a glass cover through which the Patriarch Father appeared wearing the priestly service clothes.
Then the anointing began, followed by the reading of the document for their transfer, and reading the biography of each patriarch according to historical order. After reading the biography of each patriarch, the fathers carried the coffin containing the relics and walked around the church while the deacons’ choir chants hymns and praises, and the same was done with each patriarch. Each turn ends with placing the patriarch in his new booth.
His Holiness participated in the anointing with a number of fathers, metropolitans, bishops, and heads of monasteries.
His Holiness held the Divine Liturgy and participated in it, along with the fathers, metropolitans, bishops, the General Vicar of the Patriarchate in Cairo, as well as the monastery’s monks’ assembly.
After reading the Gospel of the Mass, the monastery’s spokesman gave a word of thanks to His Holiness and the fathers in attendance. After that, His Holiness delivered the sermon of the Mass, in which he firstly indicated that that day is historic and unique, not only in the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great but in the entire church. He pointed out that the Monastery of Saint Macarius has sent out a large number of fathers; about 29 patriarchs. Regarding the 14 patriarchs whose bodies are buried in the Monastery of Saint Macarius, His Holiness the Pope noted that they sat on the See of Saint Mark from the ninth century to the seventeenth century, that is, over a long journey that extended to more than nine centuries.
His Holiness noted that making a booth for the father patriarchs and placing them in it next to the booth of the three Saints Macarius expresses the loyalty and love that distinguish the history of our Coptic Church that extends over centuries.
His Holiness offered thanks to the fathers participating in the occasion, and everyone who exerted efforts in the event.
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