The Clergy of the Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii were blessed to have a meeting and audience with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II on Tuesday, December 29, 2020 via Zoom. Participating in this blessed meeting were His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion, Their Graces Bishop Suriel, Bishop Abraham, and Bishop Kyrillos, as well as the clergy and their wives.
His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion introduced His Holiness and thanked him for his visionary leadership, especially in matters concerning the Coptic Orthodox Church outside of Egypt. His Eminence highlighted many wise decisions in which His Holiness offered fatherly pastoral care to his children outside of Egypt. In response, His Holiness thanked His Eminence and congratulated him and the Diocese on the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Diocese, as well as His Eminence’s 35th anniversary as a bishop.
His Holiness then offered a beautiful reflection for the New Year based on 1 Corinthians 16:13-14: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love” (1 Co 16:13–14). He exhorted the clergy and their families to live this verse in this coming year, especially in the midst of the challenges the world is now facing. His Holiness placed a particular emphasis on making time for the Lord in the midst of all of our modern distractions.
After the spiritual word, His Holiness answered various questions from the clergy about spiritual matters and the well-being of our brothers and sisters in Egypt.
We thank God for this blessed opportunity to learn from His Holiness and enjoy precious time with him. May God keep the lives of our beloved fathers, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion, and Their Graces Bishop Suriel, Bishop Abraham, and Bishop Kyrillos, for many years and peaceful times.
