The Basilica of San Marco in Venice hosted a significant ecumenical celebration on the occasion of the visit of Coptic Orthodox Pope Tedros II, who presided over a Divine Liturgy together with members of his delegation in the temple where the relics of the evangelist Saint Mark are venerated.
The visit was announced by Coptic Archbishop Angaelos through his social media, where he described the day as «a very special morning» celebrated in the historic Venetian basilica, one of the main symbols of Eastern and Western Christianity.
After the liturgical celebration, a fraternal meeting took place between Tedros II, the Coptic delegation, and the Catholic Patriarch of Venice, Francesco Moraglia. As explained by Archbishop Angaelos himself, the meeting developed in an atmosphere of cordiality and closeness.
The visit holds strong symbolic value for the Coptic Orthodox Church, as Saint Mark is considered the founder of the See of Alexandria and the first patriarch of the Coptic Church. The relics of the evangelist were transferred to Venice in the 9th century and have been kept there since in the basilica dedicated to his name.
The gesture is also framed within the ecumenical contacts between Catholics and Coptic Orthodox, intensified especially in recent decades following the meetings between Saint Paul VI and Shenuda III, as well as subsequently between Pope Francis and Tedros II.
The disseminated images show Tedros II celebrating the liturgy according to the Coptic rite inside the Venetian basilica, accompanied by numerous clerics dressed in traditional white vestments of the Coptic Orthodox Church.