Egypt’s Catholic Media Office announced Tuesday holding Christmas mass at several churches, including the Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Catholic Cathedral.
Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac, head of the Coptic Catholic Church in Egypt, led the 2024 Christmas mass shortly at the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Mary in Nasr City.
The mass was transferred on air on Egypt State TV’s second channel
During his remarks, the Patriarch stated, “We unite in prayer with Pope Francis and the Eastern Patriarchs, lifting our voices together for countries suffering from the devastation of war, destruction, and crises, particularly Syria, Sudan, Ukraine, and Palestine.”
The Anglican Diocese of Egypt is also celebrating Christmas at the All Saints Cathedral in Zamalek, where mass was headed by Archbishop of the Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria Samy Fawzy.
Representatives from the Egyptian presidency, Al-Azhar, Coptic Orthodox Church, and foreign ambassadors attended the masses.
Christmas mass starts at 8pm and ends at midnight, when worshipers can break their fast, which began on 15 November.
Egypt's Christians make up about 10-14 percent of the country's 105 million population, with Catholics estimated to number around 500,000.
According to Andrea Zaki Stephanous, the president of the Protestant community in Egypt, the number of Egyptian Anglicans is estimated to be around two million.
Unlike Western denominations, which celebrate Christmas on 25 December, Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar and celebrate Christmas on 7 January.
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