King Charles III expressed his “greatest admiration for the Coptic community” during a visit to the Coptic Orthodox Church Centre in Hertfordshire, maintaining a keen personal interest in the religion since his days as a prince.
There are approximately 40,000 Coptic Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom, who are represented by Archbishop Angaelos of London.
During the 5 December visit, the archbishop gave King Charles a
fragment of stone from the Coptic Orthodox altar within the Holy
Sepulchre in Jerusalem, speaking of its “unparalleled significance” in
Christian history.
The king attended an Advent service attended
by over six hundred guests from the House of Lords and House of Commons,
the diplomatic corps, the Foreign Commonwealth Office, humanitarian and
advocacy organisations, ecumenical and interreligious guests, and
members of the Coptic Orthodox clergy and community in the United
Kingdom.
The service included prayers, Gospel readings and the Orthodox Creed, and was followed by a cello and violin performance performed by the sisters Sarah and Laura Ayouba.
Charles was then led to the church hall, where he stopped to speak with individuals at four stalls showcasing different services provided by the church across its diocese, and shook hands as he moved through the congregation.
“If I may say so, this has been a very special occasion and I want to wish you nothing but a very happy Christmas indeed,” Charles said, reports Crux.
The archbishop said it had been “a true joy” to welcome the king during the same year as his coronation, adding that “the response which we received from our community to attend a midweek morning service was overwhelming, and the genuine love and enthusiasm expressed was heartening.
“Seeing His Majesty move among the people and engage with them with such warmth and sincerity speaks to his commitment to being the servant King. He touched and left a lasting impression on the hearts of so many individuals and families within our community.”
The archbishop finished by saying: “We are very thankful to His Majesty for his visit, his time and genuine sincerity and warmth, and we pray a blessing upon him, the Nation and the Commonwealth and the world during this Advent period, which is a period of hope amidst many global challenges that are affecting so many at this time.”
The Coptic Orthodox Church is a member of the Oriental Orthodox family, which broke with the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches as early as the fifth century, when they rejected the definitions of the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
Charles is no stranger to the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, visiting its headquarters in London on 17 December 2013, when he was still a prince.
During that visit, he expressed his “deepest concern and deepest sympathies and solidarity” with the Coptic community in the country because they have relations in Egypt, “a country where Coptic Christians have played such a vital part for hundreds and hundreds of years”.
Coptic Orthodox Christians make up approximately 15 percent of the population of Egypt, numbering around 15 million, and have endured persecution because of their faith.
Charles also spoke at a historic service at Westminster Abbey in 2018 to celebrate the contribution of Christians in the Middle East.
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, the 118th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark, met Charles at Clarence House on 17 May 2017, during his first pastoral visit to the UK. Charles also met Tawadros during a visit to Egypt in November 2021.
“I have been so full of admiration and respect for the way in which the Coptic Christians have been so full of forbearance and longsuffering that is quite remarkable, and the lack of retaliation even more remarkable,” Charles said during the 2013 visit. “And for that, I think we owe all of you a remarkable debt, not only gratitude, but respect for living out your Christian Faith in the way that you do.”