On September 10, 2024, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia received a delegation of the Coptic Church of the United States of America at the Patriarchal Palace in Belgrade.
The delegation consisted of Metropolitan Serapion of Southern California and Hawaii and Bishop of Los Angeles, along with Auxiliary Bishops Abraham and Cyril.
Metropolitan Serapion, on behalf of the delegation, thanked the host for the hospitality and emphasized that their visit to Serbia was their first to this part of the world. This morning, the guests visited the Church of St. Sava in Vračar, the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel, and the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church. During their meeting with Patriarch Porphyrios, they shared their impressions of the vibrant Serbian Church, which shares a similar martyr fate with the Coptic Church. Metropolitan Serapion thanked the Patriarch of Serbia for his active witness to the eternal principles of Christian love, for his support, and for allowing, for the first time in Serbia, on the Day of the Gospel, a Divine Liturgy for the faithful of the ancient Coptic Church to be held in the Patriarchal Church of St. Simeon Stylites.
Patriarch Porfirije thanked the guests for their visit and affirmed Metropolitan Serapion’s view of the trials that Coptic Christians and Orthodox Serbs and their churches have faced and continue to face as they courageously bear their cross on the road to salvation. “As difficult as it is to carry the cross, it is impossible to understand the message of Christ without the cross,” said Patriarch Porphyrios, who emphasized the importance of the presence of the Coptic Church in the Western world, where people can learn much about the ancient spirituality rooted in Egypt.
At the end of the meeting, commemorative gifts were exchanged. The reception was attended by Metropolitan Fotios of Zvornik and Tuzla and Protopresbyter George Stojsavljević, Head of the Office of the Patriarch of Serbia.
The ancient Coptic Church has over twelve million adherents, most of whom live in Egypt. In the United States, there are approximately 600,000 Coptic faithful, led by fifteen bishops.
Source: Patriarchate of Serbia
