The Institute’s participation in the sixth annual meeting of His Holiness the Pope with the bishops of Cairo’s pastoral sectors and social care priests (December 2019)
At the invitation of His Holiness the Pope’s Secretariat for Social Welfare, the Coptic Institute for Church Management and Development participated in the sixth annual meeting of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II with the bishops and priests of the Social Welfare Department of the Coptic Orthodox Church (Upper Egypt, North Sinai, Greater Cairo, and Cairo). The meeting was organized by the Secretariat over four days during December 2019 (Thursdays December 5, 9, 12, and 26).
During the four meetings, His Holiness the Pope delivered an address welcoming the bishops and priests from each area. He highlighted several features of the development and institutionalization of social care and development services within the Church. These include the establishment of the Papal Secretariat for Social Care and the annual meeting held every December to follow up on and develop social care services. Also mentioned was the creation of the Papal Office for Projects, which focuses on health and education projects and complements the extended work of the Bishopric of Public, Ecumenical and Social Services (BLESS) (the development arm of the Church), as well as the formation of the Church’s Partners for Development Committee.
Furthermore, His Holiness referred to the “Institute for Church Administration and Development,” which was founded in 2015 to disseminate the message of management and development within the Church through specialists.
During the meeting, which was well attended, the activities of the Social Welfare Service, as well as the database and electronic system for this service in all dioceses in 2019, were reviewed. The primary goal for 2020, which is to focus on education and training, was also clarified.
Professor Dr. Magdy Latif, Dean of the Coptic Institute for Church Administration and Development, participated in the meeting and delivered a lecture titled “The Service of the Lord’s Brethren: From Charity to Development: Why and How.”
The Institute—which holds membership in the Church’s Partners for Development Committee—was tasked with delivering a specialized training program during 2020 on the “Developmental Approach in Service.” This program will target fathers and servants involved in social care, in coordination with the Secretariat of His Holiness the Pope for Social Care.
