Coptic Church established in Mexico
One and half years ago, Pope Shenouda had sent Hegumen Mikhail Edward of Cleveland to study the feasibility of installing a Coptic church in Mexico and Father Agapius Anba-Paula was chosen to minister it.
Indeed, the construction of the church began, yet sending a priest took some time because of prolonged administrative procedures including granting official approval of the Coptic church.
Fr. Mikhail Edward kept ministering there through various visits when he celebrated liturgies, held meetings, and fulfils the ministry needs of the Coptic community there, including marriages and baptisms and receiving native Mexican converts to Orthodoxy.
Following the submission by Fr. Mikhail of an official request for recognition of the Coptic Orthodox Church as a denomination in Mexico, a decree number SGAR/2588/2003 was issued from the Mexican Ministry of Interior according official recognition of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Mexico. This letter was received from Dr. Javier Moctozuma Barragain the Deputy Minister of Interior for Religious Affairs and Dr. Alvaro Castro Estrada the General Director of Religious Affairs in the Mexican Ministry of Interior on 10 June 2003 and provides the right to build Coptic churches all over Mexico.
Construction of the church is already in progress: the ceiling of the first floor has been erected. This ceiling is the floor of the upper church. In the first floor lays the hall, offices, general clinic, dentist clinic, pediatric clinic and a pharmacy. The second floor is the church having a Coptic dome above the altar and a bell tower. Three buildings are affiliated to the church, those being a nursery and a primary school (6 years). The upper floor is a residence for the priest-monk, the Pope and guests. Each building has a possibility of adding two other floors in the future.
http://www.uk-christian.net/boc/108c.shtml*** (God I hope this doesn't cause more confussion!)
