Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of the See of St. Mark and Pope of Alexandria, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the Egyptian people for the victims of the Abu Sefein Church fire in Imbaba, Giza Governorate, which killed 41 persons.
“Tawadros” added, during a phone interview with Engy Al-Qadi, on the “dmc” channel, on Monday: “Thank you for the condolences, our Lord consoles Egypt in its condition, and consoles our sons and daughters, the victims, and heals the injured and all the wounded,” explaining that he had received a condolence call from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and it was a very good condolence,
He continued, “He also received a condolence call from the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Attorney General, and he will not be able to count all those who consoled him, as the feelings were all good, and mitigated the impact of the injured, explaining that all the agencies involved in the accident were present and arrived at the place quickly, because the place was small.” It is narrow, and the Coptic population density in this area is high; this is an important fact that must be emphasized.
The Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark explained that more than ten years ago, the process of establishing a church was a very difficult and stressful matter, and there were many parties on whose approval this matter depended, explaining that when President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi came to power, A draft law on building churches was issued in 2016, and things started to go right, so the number of Copts in the area surrounding the Abu Said mosque increased.
Tawadros noted that there are various prayer locations, which are modest in comparison to the number of Copts in the region, because the area of Abu Sefein Church is 120 meters, which means I have an apartment. I request that the competent agencies pay close attention to this aspect, especially if the density is high and the space is limited. Either the location is increased in some manner, or it is relocated to a larger location, but the location of Abu Sefein Church is small and on a tight street.”
Pope Tawadros II stated that the Abu Seifin Church, which was destroyed by fire yesterday, is located in an extremely tight area with restricted access. Their responsibility to the church while it was being torched
“Tawadros” went on to say, “We thank all the people who helped us, with all the possibilities that came, whether firefighters, ambulances, or police cars, all of this was present, and everyone did their part, but we must keep in mind this point, civil protection is required, but how do you use civil protection in a place Small?” I see that communities or city councils, or responsible authorities, or even security authorities, must pay attention to this topic, since if there is a population density and a restricted space, the two do not conflict, and this point is critical.
“As human beings, we remain silent and cannot speak in the face of the issue of death, and what happened is God’s decree and destiny, and we believe that God is the Controller of all, and that the victims who moved and the injured who received treatment in hospitals currently, all of us, us and all humans, all of us,” said the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. In the hands of our Lord, he is the one who holds life in our hands and who enables it to end.”
Tawadros said, “Of course, the matter is painful and painful in the way that happened, but we must not lose faith,” because those who moved countries were at prayer time and attending Sunday mass, and we are currently fasting a very important fast, the fast of the Virgin Mary, a Mahmoud fast for all the crowds, a need for hydration. Our hearts are broken, but we have trust that those who moved nations went to God, and may God console everyone.”
Pope Tawadros II stated today that he appointed a team comprised of the Bishop of Abu Sefein Church in Imbaba and priests to visit the injured in yesterday’s church fire, adding, “The group visited the injured, and they visited Brother Muhammad Yahya.” Their recuperation is swift, and we appreciate the doctors and nurses for completing their jobs thoroughly. They guarantee us that during the days of our Lord, they will be cured, and she will emerge and resume her life.
“The truth is one of the painful things that makes the matter worse, the lies that are being told by those who know and those who do not know, those who understand and those who do not understand, on the pages of social media and some TV channels, things that are not even befitting the sanctity of death and the sanctity of the accident,” Tawadros added. And the anguish in everyone’s hearts.”
“We are all meant as human beings, to bandage wounds with kind words and good acts, that is what we possess,” Pope Tawadros II said, “but there are those who instigated bad, sadly, and talk on lies, rumors, and deceptions, all of which are not real.”
Tawadros said, “There are reports of gloating, irresponsibility, and accusation of people, aspects of the church’s personality that it does not tolerate at all.” We see how to make him happy or help him, but many people say things that are not true, causing a confidence problem that does not exist in reality.”
The Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark stated that a few hours after the fire in the Abu Sefein Church, leaders of the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces, commissioned by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, headed to the church’s site to restore and repair it, adding, “These are very good feelings and quick response, matters.” It is quite commendable, and we appreciate the President and the Engineering Authority for it.”
He explained: I asked to wait a little while until the funerals took place, because things remained a little easy, after hours the scaffolding was there, and now they are working, and may God continue their work, and an accident happened and an accident could happen anywhere, and this incident all the devices joined together because it It removes the effects of the accident, helps people and protects people, and that it connects people to hospitals. These are normal things in any accident. As for the disinterested, I appeal to everyone. We do not listen to such rumors at all, everyone does his duty, and thanks to everyone who contributed to this crisis.
About Author
