Each year in January the British Orthodox Church at Babingley hosts one of the events for Churches’ Together in King’s Lynn  to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which has proved very popular and has always been well attended. As  British Orthodox clergy and members from the Bournemouth, London, Cusworth and Chatham parishes were planning to attend, Abba Seraphim hosted a  lunch before the Unity service for members and friends at which he briefed them on the current situation in Egypt and answered questions.

By 3.00 p.m. on Saturday, 22 January, when Abba Seraphim welcomed the ecumenical guests to the Raising of Evening Incense, the church was packed. In his comments he spoke about the deep bond of prayer we all share at the present with the Catholic Diocese of East Anglia, for the health of Bishop Michael Evans, who was himself the speaker at this service in 2005. The speaker this year was Father Peter Farrington, parish priest at Chatham and also the Secretary of the Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches. His address was entitled, “Prophet, Priest and King: The high calling of the baptised.”

The United Copts of Great Britain organised a peaceful protest on Saturday, 15 January, in Whitehall opposite the entrance to Downing Street. A large group of Copts from churches in London, Bromley and Rotherham gathered between noon and 3.00 p.m. holding crosses and banners recalling recent sectarian attacks on Copts in Egypt.

Several Coptic clergy were present and Abba Seraphim and Father Sergius Scott were there to represent the British Orthodox Church.  Among their supporters were Baroness Cox and Dr. Charles Tannock, Conservative MEP for the London Region, who are both passionate supporters of Christians suffering persecution. Dr. Tannock addressed the gathering and promised to raise the issue at the European Parliament next week.

In all British Orthodox congregations this weekend special commemoration of the new Alexandrian martyrs were held and their names read out individually. These were held at noon following the normal Sunday service in order to coincide with similar services being held in Coptic churches throughout Europe. At Portsmouth the service was held on Saturday as the Divine Liturgy was already scheduled then as Father Simon Smyth celebrated the Sunday Liturgy in Bournemouth. The specially designed logo was reproduced and displated around the Portsmouth Church as well as attached to the portable ikon stands. At Cusworth Father David Seeds announced that the church had sent a donation of £250 to the Barnabas Fund to support Coptic Christians in Alexandria.

During his address at Bournemouth, Father Simon referred to the cost of blessings, “True blessing doesn’t come cheap.”  He also pointed to the example of the ascetic lives of the desert Fathers, to the inward pain of the Mother of God, Saint Mary (“my heart weeps when I gaze at Thee on the cross”) and spoke of the supreme example of the martyrs who paid the ultimate price for the great blessing of martyrdom.  “We all want to enjoy God’s blessing – but are we willing to pray the price our beloved Coptic martyrs in Alexandria have just paid?”  He emphasised that the Coptic Orthdox Church is par excellence the Church of martyrs. The memorial prayers for the martyred Copts throughout 2010 were prayed outside the Church building so as to give a greater public witness.  The Church entrance gate and notice board were covered in symbols of the Alexandrian Martyrs with requests for people to pray for them with their names listed.

St. Thomas’ Parish Church in Old Charlton, which has also been the home of a British Orthodox community for many years, held special prayers for the Alexandrian martyrs at their Sunday morning service on 9 January to show their love and concern for the Coptic Orthodox Church. Abba Seraphim was invited to address the congregation about the brutal attack on New Year’s Eve and Orthodox worshippers joined the l0cal congregation to pray for the departed, the wounded, the bereaved and the entire Coptic Orthodox Church. Following the service Abba Seraphim said, “Not only are the Coptic and British Orthodox Churches united in prayer this morning, but Christians of other traditions have been so shocked by recent events that they too want to stand beside us. Just over a month ago we were showing our prayerful solidarity for Christians slaughtered in Baghdad, now it is our turn to be the victims.  The Apostle St. Paul tells us that if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it (1 Cor. XII: 26) and this desire for a united witness on behalf of the suffering church is a great joy and comfort in these troubled times.”

In a recent letter to His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Abba Seraphim wrote of the “profound sadness” with which the British Orthodox clergy and faithful have been following reports of the tragedy at Alexandria,  “our hearts are very heavy for the families of those who lost their loved ones in this wicked act of violence. We stand beside all our Coptic brothers and sisters in their grief and we yearn for a peaceful and just outcome.”

He expressed wholehearted support for His Holiness’  constant message for a just and peaceful response to the problems facing the Copts and assured him that all his “British Orthodox clergy and children unite with our Mother Church in that prayer and our churches and communities will be sharing in the days of prayer and reflection which have been planned here in the British Isles.”

Whilst forwarding on messages received from hierarchs and clergy of other churches, which had been sent to him, Abba Seraphim spoke warmly of their “sympathy and loving support” and their wish “to stand beside us when we commemorate the new Alexandrian martyrs as well as the other victims who survived. Their respect for the Coptic Orthodox Church and its constant call for peace and harmony in the face of the most devastating provocation has been a potent witness to our fidelity to the Gospel. “

As the Christmas celebrations of  the Coptic Church approaches Abba Seraphim believed that “the world will see and respect that even these terrible crimes cannot deprive us of the joy at the Lord’s Incarnation. The shadow of recent events, which enjoins that this will be a muted and modest celebration can never separate us from the love of God, which is manifested in the glorious incarnation of His Only-Begotten Son for our salvation.”