With great solemnity and festal splendour, The Great Feast of Palm Sunday was celebrated on 5 April at the Church of the Holy Archangels in the Daher district of Cairo, presided over by His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria.
Concelebrating with the Patriarch were His Eminence Metropolitan Nikodimos of Memphis, Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo, and His Grace Bishop Stephanos of Hippo, while His Eminence Metropolitan Theophylaktos of Caesarea was present in prayer.
The celebration was honoured by the presence of the Ambassador of Greece to Egypt Nikolaos Papageorgiou, the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Egypt Poly Ioannou, Archon Logothetes tou Nomou Sakis Kechagioglou, as well as representatives of the Greek community of Cairo, Arabic-speaking Orthodox communities, and local institutions.
The church was filled with a large number of faithful, including many young people who participated with devotion and spiritual joy in the feast of the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
In his address, Patriarch Theodoros expressed his joy at being once again among the faithful of this vibrant parish, placing particular emphasis on the presence of young people.
“I am delighted to be once again among you, in a living parish filled with young people, who are the hope and future of our Church. Seeing you holding palm branches in your hands fills my heart with emotion and hope. You are the living testimony that the Church always moves forward, illuminated by the light of the Resurrection,” he said.
From what he described as the blessed land of peace, Egypt, the Patriarch also offered a heartfelt prayer for the world, calling for an end to wars and the cessation of all forms of violence and division among peoples.
Following the Divine Liturgy, a procession took place around the church in remembrance of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, completing the celebration in a spirit of joy, faith, and unity.