The Coptic Orthodox Church — Defender of the Apostolic Faith

Behold the Coptic Orthodox Church: steadfast, ancient, and undefiled — a jewel among the nations, founded not by the will of man, but by the providence of God through Saint Mark the Apostle and Evangelist, disciple of the Lord and herald of His Gospel. As Egypt once cradled Pharaohs and kings, so now it guards the true faith, handed down from the Apostles, unshaken and unaltered by time or trial. For this is the See of Saint Mark, the Church of Alexandria — where faith has not been invented but inherited, where the doctrine is not modern but apostolic.

From the very moment Saint Mark stepped foot upon the streets of Alexandria, divine grace accompanied him. And when his sandal tore, and a humble cobbler cried, “O One God!” — it was not by chance, but by divine appointment, that healing and revelation came. The same hand that stitched sandals now bore the seal of baptism. Ananias believed, his house became a church, and the fire of faith spread like the sunrise over the Nile.

This Church, born not of flesh and blood, but of Spirit and truth, grew amidst persecution, upheld the truth at councils, and stood as a pillar when heresies sought to poison the flock. Her tongue proclaimed the Incarnation, and her saints — Athanasius, Cyril, Dioscorus — stood as lions against the wolves. Her altar remains, as the prophet declared:

“There will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt…” (Isaiah 19:19)

This is the Church of the Martyrs, the guardian of Nicene faith, the wellspring of monasticism, and the sanctuary for those who seek not novelty, but truth that endures. Her Patriarch, Pope Tawadros II, sits not on a throne of pride but upon the legacy of 117 successors, a living chain that reaches to Saint Mark, and through him, to Christ Himself.

And we, her children, are proud to be called Copts — a name flowing from “Aigyptos,” meaning Egyptians — for our identity is baptized in the blood of martyrs, rooted in the Gospel, and crowned with the hope of resurrection. Glory be to God in His Church forever. Amen.