Archbishops Sebouh Sarkissian, Prelate of Tehran, and Nareg Alemezian will represent His Holiness Aram I and the Catholicosate of Cilicia at the funeral of Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, on Tuesday, March 20.

In his letter to the Holy Synod, Catholicos Aram I recalled that they had last met a few months ago during the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Pope’s enthronement.

He wrote that they had met for the first time in 1966, when the late Pope was director of the Christian Education Department of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and the Catholicos was a young deacon. Since then they continued their brotherly cooperation in the Middle East Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches, and in the Bilateral Theological Dialogues with other Churches.

He then wrote, “Along with these ecumenical engagements, we formed together with the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Permanent Meeting of the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East. Our intention was to deepen our centuries-old relations as ancient churches, and face the challenges in the Middle East together, through our meetings as Heads, and the continuing work of the Standing Committee.”