Patriarch of Alexandria presides over Divine Liturgy and exaltation of the Holy Cross in Cairo

On Sunday, 23 March 2025, the atmosphere at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Cairo was filled with reverence and splendour, as His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa presided over the Divine Liturgy and the exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Concelebrating with the Patriarch were Metropolitans Nicholas of Hermopolis, Nicodemos of Memphis, Savvas of Nubia, and Bishop Stephanos of Hippo. Following the Divine Liturgy, a procession of the Holy Cross took place within the Cathedral.

At the conclusion of the service, Patriarch Theodore distributed “cross-flowers” as a blessing to the faithful. Then, with a voice full of emotion, he once again raised the Cross and proclaimed: “May this Holy Cross, my children, become a fountain of love, a sea of mercy, an ocean of forgiveness — drowning our weaknesses and revealing our love. Beside the Holy Cross, the Most Holy Theotokos accompanies our tears and blesses our homelands — our Egypt, our Greece, and our Cyprus.”

Moved with particular compassion, the Patriarch turned his thoughts toward the suffering continent to which he has devoted his ministry: “But my deepest affection, my children, is for afflicted Africa. Let the Holy Cross become a symbol of love for those who have no place to lay their head, for those who will not hear a knock at their door, nor receive a bag of food. For all these struggling souls, our Church does what it can.”

Concluding his message from the Church of Saint Nicholas, Patriarch Theodore addressed the world with a heartfelt call: “From this sacred place, I send a message of love and unity to all peoples of the earth. Because, my children, life is so short and so beautiful that we must cherish it and truly live it. Many years to us all.”

Source: ekkairo.org