Dr. Khalid Al Anani, Minister of Tourism & Antiquities participated yesterday evening in the anniversary of entry of the Holy Family into Egypt.
Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Saint Mark Holy See, has invited the minister to attend the ceremony which was mounted on theater of Anba Royce at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbasia in Cairo.
The ceremony was also attended by Ambassador Nabila Makram, Minister of State for Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Abroad, Dr. Ali Meslehi, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of Youth and Sports, Maj. Gen. Khalid Abdel Aal, Governor of Cairo, Ghada Shalaby, Deputy Minister of Tourism & Antiquities for Tourism Affairs, Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, Executive Chairman of the Authority of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Dr. Osama Talaat, Head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities sector at the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities, and Eng. Adel El-Guendy, Director General of the General Administration of the Ministry’s Strategic Management and the National Coordinator of the Holy Family Path in Egypt.
Also a constellation of members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, university presidents, church heads and priests of all regions covered by the path.
The ceremony started with screening a documentary film about the Institute of Coptic Studies, activities of Zagazig University and Bier of Al Basta.
During the ceremony Dr. Al Anani delivered a speech began by expressing his keenness to attend the ceremony as he does every year to commemorate this dear anniversary to our hearts.
On this day Egypt opened arms to hug the Holy Family that found haven among the Egyptians for more than three years.
The Holy Family covered the distance from the north of Sinai Peninsula to Delta, Cairo and Upper Egypt later.
The minister assured that the path of the Holy Family is a historic and spiritual itinerary that is unique to the Coptic Church in Egypt and blisses of that holy journey still fill corners of our beloved country, and people are blessed by visiting the places they passed by.
He pointed out that the Holy Family path is one of the most important national projects as the state has paid great attention to it for several years, under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and constant follow-up by the Prime Minister.
The minister added that government agencies participate in it in cooperation with the Egyptian Church.
He indicated that the Prime Minister has taken a decision to establish a national committee that includes all ministries, relevant authorities and the Egyptian Church to follow up the implementation of this important file.
The Minister of Tourism & Antiquities explained that the three axes through which his ministry works on this important urban development tourism file, that would contribute to the development of the surrounding local communities along the path.
He touched the first axis that related to the archeological side of the project related to developing, restoring and documenting the sites where the Holy Family passed.
The minister pointed out to his last week’s visit to inspect MaryTree development project in Al-Mataria neighborhood in the north of Cairo.
About the second axis, the minister made clear that the project linked to upgrading and developing the infrastructure of areas surrounding the path of the Holy Family.
This project led by the Ministry of Local Governing in cooperation with the Egyptian Church.
Dr. Al Anani pointed out he and the minister of the Local Governing inaugurated throughout the current year three projects to develop the infrastructure on points on the path of the Holy Family at Samanoud, Sakha and Tal Basta.
He explained that he visited the churches of Mary the Virgin and Abanoub the martyr in Samanoud twice, the first was when he was Minister of Antiquities in 2016 when it was opened after the completion of its restoration project and the second time when the project to develop and raise the efficiency of the surrounding area this year.
During his speech, the Minister of Tourism & Antiquities announced that during the coming days, a project to develop the Tree of Mary will be inaugurated.
And that he inspected the project of restoring the Jabal al-Tair Church in Minya Governorate, some 250 km south to Cairo.
The minister added that the third axis is concerned with promoting the tour of the Holy Family in Egypt.
The ministry organizes and hosts many induction trips from companies specialized in pilgrimage to visit and promote the path sites, the last of which was an introductory visit to an Italian tourist delegation and a French Christian tourism delegation in early 2020.
At the end of his speech, Dr. Khalid Al-Anani thanked His Holiness the Pope, Pope of Alexandria, the Patriarch of the Saint Mark Holy See, the heads of the Egyptian Church and the University of Zagazig for organizing this celebration.
He prayed to God that Egypt, in which Christ took refuge and embraced all religions, to remain a blessed land that opens her arms to all, and still a model of coexistence and tolerance and to remain the land of safety, love and peace.
https://see.news/tourism-antiquities-participate-entering-of-holy-family/
