PROVIDENCE — Friday was a historic day in his native Egypt, and Samir Abdelmessih didn’t want to miss a moment of the action.
Waking up at 5:30 a.m., he browsed several Arabic TV news he subscribes to that cover the region, hungry for details on that day’s planned arrival of Pope Francis in Cairo.
There was much to look forward to in the pontiff’s visit. He would be meeting with his Coptic Christian counterpart, Pope Tawadros II, who leads the church that was founded by the apostle St. Mark in the mid-first century.
During this visit Francis would also meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to talk about peace and greater protections for Christians in the predominantly Muslim nation.
But there was also much to fear, especially from a security standpoint, with such a high-profile visit.
Just two weeks earlier, on Palm Sunday, Islamic State militants — who have a foothold in the northern region of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula — launched a brazen and deadly attack on Palm Sunday, killing at least 45 Coptic Christians celebrating Mass and injuring at least 100 more.
That attack against Christians comes on the heels of another that took place less than five months ago, two weeks before Christmas, in which 29 worshippers were killed and 31 were wounded when an Islamic State militant attacked the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Cairo.
Arriving at his job as the chef at the Diocese of Providence’s Our Lady of Providence Seminary, Samir continued to monitor the heartfelt meeting of brotherly unity between Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros, one in which the two faith leaders signed a joint declaration recognizing each other’s baptisms into the faith. The issue had long been a point of disagreement between the two churches and resolving it is viewed as a sign of Christian unity.
Preparing the day’s lunch and dinner for the seminarians, Samir would pause occasionally to glance at his phone, on which he could view Francis’ arrival, which with the seven-hour time difference, was late Friday afternoon.
“I am very, very happy for all the Christian people,” Samir said of Francis’s visit to his homeland. “He is a very kind man, that’s why everyone loves him. He’s a man of peace.”
“Pope Francis has blessed Egypt,” he said. It’s an important visit for all Christians as it gives them more energy, more power.”
Some of the energy in the Coptic Christian community has been sapped by their persecution at the hands of Islamic State, which began a more widespread purge of Christians in that region of Africa two years ago when militants paraded 21 Copts onto a Libyan beach and slaughtered them on video.
For Samir, the visit of Francis — who is known worldwide as a man of peace — brought some much-needed joy.
In the Palm Sunday attack, his son-in-law’s uncle and cousin, a deacon and an altar server, were killed in the bombing of St. George’s Church in Tanta, Egypt.
When his family received the news here they were just getting ready to leave for Mass at St. Mary St. Mena Coptic Christian Church in Cranston.
A tragedy hitting so close to home was too much to bear for Samir, who began to feel deep pains in his chest and thought he was having a heart attack. Fortunately he wasn’t, but he did spend some time in the emergency room and missed two days of work because of it.
Samir is hopeful that Francis’ meeting with al-Sisi will lead to a greater focus on the needs of the Christian minority in Egypt, which comprises 10 percent of the population, compared to 90 percent who follow the Muslim faith.
“We are looking for him to protect the Christian people more,” he said.
On Sunday, during the Coptic Christian Liturgy at St. Mary St. Mena, which is offered in three languages — Arabic, Coptic and English — Hegomen Father Abanoub Elias, who offered the liturgy, said he was delighted with Francis’ brief, 27-hour visit to his homeland, a visit kept short due to security concerns.
“This is an extremely important visit with Pope Tawardros,” Hegomen Father Abanoub said. “This is a very good opportunity for Egypt.”
Hegomen Father Abanoub serves the Coptic community along with Hegomen Father Marcos Girgis, who has led the congregation at St. Mary St. Mena since it opened in Cranston.
Deacon Yohana (John) Boulos described Francis’ visit as “very beautiful” for Christians in Egypt.
But even though the Copts are being persecuted by Islamic State, Boulos said violence against Christians is something that has existed from the very beginning, and they do not live in fear.
“We are happy for these martyrs who were killed for the sake of our religion,” he said. “We believe in God that he is the only protection.”
And even though the Islamist militants delight in killing Christians, the deacon said it is readily known in Egypt that many everyday Muslims have begun to abandoned their beliefs and become Christians after seeing the brutality brought to bear on others in the name of Allah.
“The one true God is love and you can’t find the word love anywhere in the Koran,” he said.
Dr. Magdi Salmon, who began his internal medicine practice in Rhode Island at the former St. Joseph’s Hospital, said Francis’ visit is a strong sign of unity for Christians around the world.
“It’s a blessing from the point of unity between the two churches,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for the people to see that the two churches are both centered in Christ.”
Dr. Bakhoum Girgis, a dentist, was also encouraged that Pope Francis responded to Pope Tawadros’ invitation to visit Egypt, even at a time of much strife in the faith community due to persecution.
“Persecution is not new to the Christians of Egypt. It’s part of our life. We know Pope Francis is a man of peace,” he said.
