His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa paid a two day pastoral visit to Tanta and Suez on 25th and 16th May 2015, accompanied by Their Eminences Nikodimos Metropolitan of Memphis, Patriarch Vicar of Cairo and Niphon Metropolitan of Pilousion, Hegumen of the Patriarchal Monastery of St George, Old Cairo.
In Tanta, See of the Holy Metropolis of Ermopolis, His Beatitude and his entourage were welcomed by the local Metropolitan Nicholas together with the clergy, the Church Council of the Orthodox Community of the city and many faithful.
The Patriarch had the opportunity of inspecting the renovation works and repairs of the Holy Church of the Meeting of Christ and the Holy Church of St George, as well as to communicate with the faithful, who although few in number but chosen, maintain the lamp of the Orthodox faith alight in the area, as he said.
An informative dialogue then took place and His Beatitude received congratulatory wishes from all for the brilliant festive weekend experienced at St George in Cairo. In conclusion His Beatitude joyfully announced that, God willing, in February of the following year the inauguration of the Church of the Meeting of Christ in Tanta would take place and before all promised that he would not “give sleep to his eyes nor rest to his head”, until even the smallest church is returned to its former glory of the old days, when Hellenism flourished in Egypt.
On the next day, His Beatitude visited the Holy Church of St Catherine in Suez, in the Holy Metropolis of Leontopolis, together with engineers and other experts and did an inspection of the Church so that the study could be done and the budget for the renovation and restoration to its former beauty could be done, because of the great presence of Orthodox visitors to the area, especially from Russia and Ukraine, for tourism and business reasons, as well as in view of the co-operation between Russia dn Egypt for the creation of a large industrial zone west of the area of Suez.
