Coptic Christians in NYC Repurpose Catholic Church for Worship Services
- Updated Mar 03, 2017
A congregation of Coptic Christians in New York City will soon start services in a church building that used to be home to a Catholic congregation.
The group of Coptic Christians will repurpose the Catholic church Our Lady of Peace on New York City’s Upper East Side, which was closed in 2015 when its current Catholic congregation merged with a nearby parish.
Copts are the largest Christian minority in Egypt, according to Christian Today. In recent months they have experienced increased persecution, including attacks from the Islamic State, previously reported on by ChristianHeadlines.com.
According to a letter from the Auxiliary Catholic Bishop to the Catholic congregation that used to meet in the church, “Some months ago, Cardinal Dolan had the occasion to introduce the New York Egyptian Coptic Orthodox bishop, His Grace Bishop David, to the Holy Father, at which time they spoke about their dream to purchase Our Lady of Peace as their cathedral.”
“Pope Francis was delighted to learn that your parish, together with the archdiocese, was interested in assisting the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church, in this way,” the letter continues. Both Pope Francis and Coptic Pope Tawadros II have reportedly approved the NYC Coptic congregation taking over the church building.
Publication date: March 3, 2017
