I am distressed and dismayed by the recent vandalism on St Stephen’s Coptic Church. This is a community of deeply committed faithful followers of Jesus Christ who meet in the name of the triune God. As Christians we are called to love God and love our neighbour. The graffiti and posters put on the walls of the church building do not reflect the people who regularly worship in this building.
A few weeks ago, ICC staff were warmly welcomed into this building and enjoyed hospitality and friendship not just from Fr Angelos but his parishioners as well. We learnt about the strong partnerships he has worked to develop with his fellow Christian colleagues in the local area and how so many of his congregation work to serve the community in a highly trained professional capacity.
On Monday 21st July, the Belfast Telegraph confirmed that there was an incident in Paris St prior to the vandalism but the PSNI confirmed that “no offences were detected”. At a meeting of Church leaders at the 174 Trust on Friday 25th July, Fr. Angelos confirmed that the person questioned is not a member of his congregation nor from the local area. He also confirmed that no illegal immigrants worship in his congregation.
I am deeply grieved that our brothers and sisters in Christ have been attacked in this way and pray that the people who put up the posters will have the courage to come forward and make themselves known to local clergy for further dialogue. We stand with Fr Angelos whose desire is pray for and keep the peace of the community. He is concerned not only for the safety of his worshippers but also the safety of all residents in the local area.
The Egyptian Coptic Church, of which St Stephen’s is a part of, has a long history of faithful witness. It is one of the oldest Christian churches, established in Egypt by Saint Mark in the middle of the first century. One of the earliest artefacts of Christianity in Ireland, the Faddan More Psalter dating from the 8th century, is notable for its leather binding containing fragments of Egyptian papyrus. This demonstrates how deeply intertwined our local Christian heritage is to the Coptic church in Egypt.
Christian buildings should be left in peace, and Christians should have the freedom to worship in their buildings without hateful graffiti and deeply egregious slogans attached to the walls of their buildings.
As the Irish Council of Churches, we will continue to name and address the trauma caused by the sin of racism. Our resource, “From Every Nation” is available to churches to learn about how to become an anti-racist community that provides hospitable, Christian, loving communities where all are welcome.
https://www.irishchurches.org/assets/files/resources/download/From-Every-Nation-.pdf
We were all once strangers, but Christ has welcomed us in. That’s why we take seriously the words of Leviticus 19:34 “The stranger who reside with you shall be to you as one of your citizens: you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt”. We are grateful to neighbouring churches and local clergy who are assisting their brothers and sisters in finding a temporary safe space to continue worshipping together.
