Coptic Orthodox Church in Europe
Encyclopedia
The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria has many churches and congregations in Europe
and on 2 June 1974 Pope Shenouda III has received in the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria a native Orthodox Church in France known as the French Orthodox Eparchy, along with their Primate, who in turn was accepted after consecration into the Episcopate, in the Holy Synod of the Church of Alexandria and hence was appointed their Primate Marcos (Mark), as the first Bishop
and Athanasius as Chorbishop
of The French Orthodox Eparchy.
Currently there are many Metropolitans and Bishops serving in Europe.
On 19 June 1994, in the presence of 62 Metropolitans and Bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Pope Shenouda III elevated Marcos (Mark) as the first metropolitan
of the Holy Metropolis of Toulon
& All France
and Primate
of the French Coptic Orthodox Church and Athanasius as the Auxiliary Bishop
(assistant) to Marcos.
The Church is integrated within the Church of Alexandria, but is considered autonomous in matter of governance.
Bishops:
Currently, there are a few thousand Orthodox Copt
s in Germany, with several monasteries and churches.
, Assen
, Eindhoven, Enschede
, The Hague
, Leeuwarden and Utrecht
.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and on 2 June 1974 Pope Shenouda III has received in the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria a native Orthodox Church in France known as the French Orthodox Eparchy, along with their Primate, who in turn was accepted after consecration into the Episcopate, in the Holy Synod of the Church of Alexandria and hence was appointed their Primate Marcos (Mark), as the first Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and Athanasius as Chorbishop
Chorbishop
A chorbishop is a rank of Christian clergy below bishop. The name chorepiscope or chorepiscopus is taken from the Greek and means rural bishop.-History:Chorepiscopi are first mentioned by Eusebius in the second century...
of The French Orthodox Eparchy.
Currently there are many Metropolitans and Bishops serving in Europe.
Austria
Bishops in Austria:- Gabriel, Bishop of the Holy Diocese of ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and all AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
France
On 18 June 1994 Pope Shenouda III raised the French Orthodox Eparchy to the full status of the French Coptic Orthodox ChurchOn 19 June 1994, in the presence of 62 Metropolitans and Bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Pope Shenouda III elevated Marcos (Mark) as the first metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of the Holy Metropolis of Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
& All France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Primate
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
of the French Coptic Orthodox Church and Athanasius as the Auxiliary Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
(assistant) to Marcos.
Bishops
The French Coptic Orthodox Church has a Metropolitan and an Auxiliary Bishop as well as about 11-12 Priests and several Deacons in about 12-15 parishes and missions across France.- (Vacant), MetropolitanMetropolitan bishopIn Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of the Holy Metropolis of ToulonToulonToulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
and all FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Primate of the French Coptic Orthodox Church. (Vacant after the death of Metropolitan Markos in 2008) - Athanasius, Auxiliary Bishop of the Holy Metropolis of ToulonToulonToulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
& All FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Assistant to the Metropolitan of the French Coptic Orthodox Church.
The Church is integrated within the Church of Alexandria, but is considered autonomous in matter of governance.
Germany
- Damian, Bishop of the Holy Diocese of HöxterHöxterHöxter is the seat of the Höxter district, and a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the left bank of the river Weser, 52 km north of Kassel in the centre of the Weser Uplands...
-Brenkenhausen, Kröeffelbach & All GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
& Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great in Kroeffelbach, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Currently, there are a few thousand Orthodox Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
s in Germany, with several monasteries and churches.
Hungary
Pope Shenouda III, the leader of the Coptic Christian community, consecrated the first Coptic church in Budapest on Sunday 21st of August 2011.The church was dedicated to Mother of God, the Holy Virgin Mary, and Archangel Michael.Italy
Bishops:- Barnaba, Bishop of the Holy Diocese of Torino, RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Southern Italy. - Kyrillos (Cyril), Bishop of the Holy Diocese of Milano and Northern ItalyNorthern ItalyNorthern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
& Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite in Milano.
The Netherlands
There is a large Coptic Orthodox community in the Netherlands, mainly in the major cities. Currently, they have Churches in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Assen
Assen
Assen is a municipality and a city in the north eastern Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run...
, Eindhoven, Enschede
Enschede
Enschede , also known as Eanske in the local dialect of Twents, is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region...
, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Leeuwarden and Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
.
Sweden
- Virgin Mary and Saint Paul church in Stockholm, Sweden; served by Father Bakhomios Demetry and Father Markos Wanis.
- This church was established by Pope Shenuda III in the year 1993.
- Saint Mina church (Södertälje- Stockholm, Sweden)
- Saint George church (Gothenburg, Sweden)
The United Kingdom and Ireland
Bishops:- British Orthodox; SeraphimMetropolitan Seraphim of GlastonburyAbba Seraphim El-Suriani is the Metropolitan of Glastonbury and Head of the British Orthodox Church within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria...
, Metropolitan of the Holy Metropolis of Glastonbury, and Primate of the British Orthodox ChurchBritish Orthodox ChurchThe British Orthodox Church is a small Oriental Orthodox jurisdiction, canonically part of the Coptic Patriarchate of Alexandria. Its mission is to the people of the British Isles, and though it is Orthodox in its faith and practice, it remains British in its ethos...
. - Bishop Anthony, Bishop of the Holy Diocese of IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
& North East EnglandNorth East EnglandNorth East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, United Kingdom. - Bishop MissaelBishop MissaelBishop Missael is a diocesan bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria consecrated by Pope Shenouda III on 26 May 1991 to oversee the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Midlands and Affiliated Areas U.K....
, Bishop of the Holy Diocese of the Midlands & Affiliated Areas, United Kingdom. - http://www.ukmidcopts.org - Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop & Patriarchal Exarch for the Youth Ministry at the Patriarchal Center and the Coptic Orthodox Theological College at StevenageStevenageStevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1, and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south....
, United Kingdom. - Eritrean church; Bishop Markos (Mark), Bishop of the Eritrean Church in the United Kingdom. Member of the EritreaEritreaEritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
n Holy Synod.
External links
- Coptic.org
- Coptic Churches in Europe websites
- Coptic Church in Eindhoven
- The French Coptic Orthodox Church website
- Coptic Othodox Diocese of the Midlands & its Affiliated Areas U.K.
- British Coptic Orthodox Church website
- Coptic Orthodox Centre Stevenage
- Yellow Pages of Coptic Orthodox Churches in U.K. & Ireland