His Grace Bishop Daniel, the Bishop of Sydney and its surroundings in Australia, presided over the Easter Mass on the evening of Saturday, April 11th. The service was conducted in English at the Church of Saints Father Bishoy Kamel and Father Justus the Antonian, located near the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary and Saint Mina in the suburb of Bexley, Sydney, New South Wales. The Mass was attended by the cathedral priests, as well as Her Excellency Ambassador Reem Zahran, the Consul General of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Sydney, and Father George Bani, a representative of Archbishop Robert Rabat, the pastor of the Melkite Catholic Archdiocese in Australia and New Zealand.

During the spiritual sermon, Bishop Daniel provided a brief overview of the lives of the church’s saints and emphasized the significance of Christ’s resurrection. He also expressed gratitude to Ms. Reem for her presence and for conveying congratulations to the Coptic community in the Sydney diocese. Bishop Daniel read the papal message for the occasion from His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in all countries of the diaspora. Additionally, messages of congratulations from leaders and politicians were shared, including greetings from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, conveyed by Ms. Zahran, as well as from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, and federal parliament member Anne Aly, who is of Egyptian descent and serves as Minister for Small Business, International Development, and Multicultural Affairs. Also acknowledged were the remarks from the Egyptian ambassador in the federal capital Canberra, Mr. Hani Nagy, and Consul General Ms. Reem Zahran.

In her speech, Ms. Reem Zahran congratulated the Coptic community in Australia and expressed her happiness at being among the youth, the ambassadors of Egypt in Australia. She encouraged the young people to continue connecting and engaging with their homeland, Egypt.