The mass was held at the end of a one-month visit by Archbishop Morcos of Shobra El-Kheima to Saudi Arabia, said El-Keraza in its most recent edition published on Friday.

The archbishop visited Riyadh, Jeddah and elsewhere in the eastern provinces, reported El-Keraza. He held masses under the auspices of the Saudi authorities that were attended by a large numbers of Copts as well as Eritreans.

The visit concluded with the holding of the Divine Liturgy on the evening of 6 January of the Gregorian calendar to celebrate Orthodox Christmas.

Coptic Orthodox Egyptians, who make up around 90 percent of all Christians in Egypt, celebrate Christmas on 7 January, while the minority of non-Orthodox Christians observe the holiday on 25 December.

Morcos' visit was his ninth annual visit to Saudi Arabia since 2015, which have traditionally lasted for an average of two weeks. In 2018, Morcos performed the first Christian mass held in Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

According to El-Keraza magazine, the Coptic Orthodox Church expressed thanks to the Saudi ambassador in Cairo for facilitating Morcos’ visit, expressing gratitude to God for the visits that allow the Church to serve and maintain contact with its people abroad.

The Church also lauded Saudi Arabia for opening up to global societies in a solid, stable and contemporary manner that allows it to be an active and influential voice to all countries, the magazine said, adding that the country has seen a boom in progress, development and prosperity.

Moreover, the church credited the king and the crown prince for such modernisation and openness, adding that the crown prince represents the generation of globalised young people actively heading towards the “horizons of the developed world.”