“In Kiahk, morning is practically night, so we start preparing dinner right after breakfast,” goes an old Coptic saying about the month of Kiahk, which straddles December and January in the Gregorian calendar. For the Coptic Church, Kiahk is also one of the most important months of the year, as it is associated with the Christmas celebrations. It is often referred to as the Mariami month, a reference to the Virgin Mary. In this month, the church holds services that build up the momentum for the Christmas celebrations. This year, Pope Tawadros II noted that the month was dear to the heart of the church, as it ushers in the birth of the saviour, his words reminding many of the late Anba (bishop) Michael, who used to lead services with unusual flair, attracting thousands from the countryside to attend ceremonies in Cairo. Other well-known preachers for the Kiahk services are Anba Youannes and Anba Raphael. In the Christmas season, Tawadros, like Christian leaders across the world, sent messages of peace to Christians and non-Christians alike. Roman Catholic pope Francis urged Christians across the world to work together with people of other religions to promote compassion and understanding. Egyptian Catholic Patriarch Ibrahim Isaak Sidrak emphasised the need to protect the values of the Christian family at a time when “dangerous challenges face holy matrimony and the communion between man and woman.” Defending Church-based marriage, the patriarch said he felt the danger of currents that have “no concern for the great laws of marriage” and that opt for “marriage without religious commitment”. Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, the patriarch of Lebanon, told his congregation that they should pray for the election of a new president. “We call on everyone to pray for the country to elect a president of the republic sooner rather than later,” Al-Rahi said. “We call for stability in Lebanon and peace in Syria, Iraq, the Holy Land, and other countries in the region,” he added. Bishop Gregory III, spiritual leader of the Syrian Melkite Greek Catholic Church, urged “justice, righteousness, forgiveness, and dialogue, not war,” in his Christmas message. He added that the ability to overcome differences was what made us human. “Faith is one way of resolving the problems of the country,” he said. Iraqi Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako led a Christmas mass with displaced members of his church, saying that the conditions of Christian refugees in Iraq were “tragic and critical.” He said that refugees were traumatised and “worried about their homes, jobs and the future of their children.” Jerusalem's Catholic patriarch Fouad Twal in his Christmas message said that a highlight of last year had been when Roman Catholic pope Francis had visited Jordan and Palestine. The worst time had come with the “destructive war and bloodshed in Gaza,” he added. An official invitation has been sent to President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi to attend Christmas mass at St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Abbasiya in Cairo, the first such invitation since his election. Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb and members of his cabinet have also been invited. According to the cathedral, anyone wishing to attend the ceremony should express their desire in advance. Members of political parties and professional syndicates and public figures wishing to be present need to signal this to the cathedral, which will then send out invitations accordingly. Bishop Sergios, deputy head of the cathedral, told Al-Ahram Weekly that stringent security measures would be introduced by the Ministry of the Interior in churches across the country as a precaution against acts of terror. No one could be admitted to services led by Pope Tawadros unless issued with an invitation in advance, he said. Young people from various political groups have decided to form human chains around the cathedral at Christmas, waving flags and chanting songs of solidarity to assert unity and against sectarian tensions. Similar efforts are being made at other churches around the country.
