Russian Bells Ring In Egypt
The peal of Russian bells will shortly spread in the neighbourhood of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill presented a group of bells to an ancient Greek, which were especially cast for this purpose by the smiths of the old Russian city of Voronezh. “Let the sounds of these bells remind people about our brotherly love and our unbreakable ties with the Orthodox Church in Alexandria, emphasized Patriarch Kirill. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church traditionally visits local Orthodox churches after he is enthroned.
The Alexandrian Patriarchate is one of the oldest local Orthodox churches in the world. It was founded by the Apostle and Evangelist St. Mark in 42 A.D. According to legend, St. Mark became the first Bishop of Alexandria.
Russian and Alexandrian Orthodox churches have long established warm relations. The arrival of the Russian-speaking Diaspora consisted of pilgrims, traders and scholars which has largely helped the two churches to strengthen ties and friendship.
At present, Alexandria and Cairo are the two main centres of African Orthodoxy. There are from 10 to 12 thousand Russian citizens who live permanently in Egypt alone. This is one of the largest Russian communities in the Arab world. Moreover, about one million Russians visit Egypt to for vacations annually, says a Russian expert in religious affairs, Alexei Yudin
“Patriarch Kirill paid attention in his speech to the fact that the religious factor should be included in traditional tourism of Russian citizens,”
says Alexei Yudin.
“As we see, Egypt is a country with a primordial Christian culture. Secondly, it is the birth place of monasticism. The traditional Egyptian resorts should one way or the other link vacationing with this interesting side of Egypt. This is quite important for Orthodox Christians. This interest might develop as an independent trend in the future.”
There are many sacred Christian places in Egypt, which are linked to the Coptic and Alexandrian Orthodox Churches. At present, there are only six Russian Orthodox churches in the country, including the one in Cairo. This Russian church appeared only ten years ago in response to a request by the former head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexei the Second. New Russian parishes will appear in various African cities in the future. To this end, Patriarch Kirill and the head of the Alexandrian Church, Fyodor the Second, reached an agreement. The construction of churches of the Moscow Patriarchate will be started next year, and Russian clergy will be sent African countries on missions to Orthodox Christians within a few months.
