Statement on the Martyrdom of Christians on Hosanna Sunday in Egypt

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With palms in their hands, hymns on their lips, and peace in their hearts, New Martyrs were ushered from their churches in Alexandria and Tanta into the Paradise of Joy on Hosanna Sunday, the day and feast of the Lord.

All Christians… know that you are a light in the world, a source of good, and a means for peace. The whole world is under siege by an ideology of hatred… a cancer of the conscience. The same hands that skilfully designed weapons of harm could’ve discovered tools for a cure. This violent act against Christians is because evil can’t coexist with good, darkness can’t overcome light, and hatred can’t befriend peace, but death can’t separate us from God.

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the Lord has spoken it.

Prophecy of Isaias 25.8

All our churches and noble citizens throughout the world are praying for the peace and safety of all persecuted Christians, Confessors, and Martyrs. Holy Week is a time devoted to the Lord’s Passion. At all times, the Lord loved. Even when afflicted and crucified, He loved. This is a time for prayer for the entire world. We remain in prayer for the safety of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, all the Confessors of the Christian faith, the families of the Martyrs, and all the injured victims. On behalf of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, I offer our deepest condolences to everyone afflicted by this sad day in Egyptian history.

+Bishop Youssef

Ruling Hierarch

Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States

10 April 2017

Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States

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11 April 2017. 43 Dead in Egypt… Patriarch Tawadros Escaped Injury

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On Palm Sunday, a bomb went off in St Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria in Egypt. 43 died and hundreds more injured… the Islamists struck again. Their intent was to drive a wedge between Christians and sane Muslims (the Islamists hate them almost as badly as they hate the Christians… how dare they associate with and defend infidels!). I think that they failed. Yes… they killed Christians… yes… they disrupted a major Christian holy day… but no, they didn’t divide the normal people of Egypt. Yes, the violence will continue… far too much of it, I’d say. However, the Egyptian government will do its best to nick the perps and give them their just deserts. It’s not Saudi Arabia, where Christians must go about in fear. Yes, there are feral Muslims, and we do wrong to ignore that fact. On the other hand, remember that such fanatics are heretics in Muslim terms… yes, heretics. Sadly, these fanatic heretics run the KSA, and they use their money to spread this contagion. So… be vigilant, but differentiate between the Saudi-financed bigots and the “silent majority”. As one of my friends told me, “If I had wanted to live under Wahhabism, I’d move to Saudi Arabia. No, thank you”.

Meanwhile, pray for the dead… we’re Christians; that’s what we do…

BMD

BREAKING NEWS Egyptian Security Reports Explosion Near Cairo’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral

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On Sunday, according to a source in Egyptian security, an explosion took place near Cairo’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral. Citing Egypt’s Ministry of Health, local media reported that the explosion killed at least five people and injured ten more. There’s been no claim of responsibility yet.

11 December 2016

Sputnik International

https://sputniknews.com/africa/201612111048419372-cairo-blast-coptic-cathedral/

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Citing Egyptian state TV, Reuters reported that an explosion near Cairo’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral killed at least 20 people and 25 injured others. No one claimed responsibility for the blast yet. The latest attack comes two days after two roadside bombs (one in Cairo, and one to the north of the capital) left six police dead and six others injured.

11 December 2016

RT

https://www.rt.com/news/369924-cairo-coptic-blast-cathedral/

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This is a developing story and we don’t have much solid detail at present. There’ll be conflicting reports for the next several hours, I fear. Stay tuned…

BMD

Chevron Tries to Apologise for Pennsylvania Fracking Explosion with Free Pizza

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Last Tuesday, residents of the small town of Bobtown PA woke to an explosion and a massive high-temperature fire, at the site of a fracking well owned by Chevron Corporation. Last Tuesday, a Chevron well in the preparation stages for hydraulic fracturing exploded 50 miles south of Pittsburgh PA causing a fire that lasted for four days and left one Chevron contractor unaccounted for and another one injured. It took five days for emergency crews to extinguish the fire; the explosion shook the small town of Bobtown, located in the far southwestern corner of the state. The blast gave off a loud hissing noise that one could hear hundreds of yards away.

One resident told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the explosion in a shale formation where Chevron spent time fracking “sounded like a jet engine going five feet above your house”. John Kuis, 57, of nearby Dilliner PA, said that his dog started growling unusually at 06.45 on 11 February, “then, the house just sort of shock and there was a big loud bang”. The Philadelphia Daily News since discovered that residents of Bobtown… a census-designated place of fewer than 1,000 people that revolves mostly around coal mining… started to receive coupons for one free pizza and a two-litre soda from a local Bobtown pizzeria.

On its website, the company said, “Chevron recognises the effect this has had on the community. We value being a responsible member of this community and will continue to strive to achieve incident-free operations. We’re committed to taking action to safeguard our neighbours, our employees, our contractors, and the environment”. Daily News reporters were able to confirm with Bobtown Pizza that it was, in fact, Chevron that bought about 100 of the 12 USD (430 Roubles. 13.25 CAD. 13.35 AUD. 8.75 Euros. 7.20 UK Pounds) coupons, which expire on 1 May 2014.The coupon is for one free large pizza and a two-litre drink at Bobtown Pizza, a shop a few miles away from the drill site.

Activists say that the pizza coupon is just the most outlandish of the many ways Chevron and other oil and gas companies have tried to soften their image, as fracking stirs controversy over environmental and health impacts. Gloria Forouzan, a leader with Pittsburgh-based anti-fracking group Marcellus Protest, said, “How arrogant and stupid do they think people are? What (fracking companies) are doing in terms of PR is insidious. They advertise, and they advertise heavily, and for that, (people) are basically willing to lie down and let the companies walk all over them”.

19 February 2014

Voice of Russia World Service

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_02_19/Chevron-apologizes-for-Pennsylvania-fracking-explosion-with-free-pizza-0282/