Diocese of Egypt

Location: Cairo, Egypt
Bishop: Dr Mouneer Anis
Founded: 1945

How it all started
The majority of Egypt is Muslim, but the Christian Church in Egypt can trace its origins back to the time of Jesus, when St Mark, the patron saint of Egyptian Christians, brought the Gospel to Egypt. The historic Christian Church in Egypt is called the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The Anglican Church in Egypt came about both because of the missionaries, who first arrived in Egypt in 1825, and the British mercantile expatriate community, who built the first Anglican church there in 1839. All of the missionary organisations in the Middle East at that time recognised that there was already a Christian presence and that the ancient Eastern Churches were the natural means of witnessing about the Christian Gospel.

The Diocese of Egypt, North Africa and the Horn of Africa, which covers a huge geographical area, was officially formed in 1945. The current Bishop, Dr Mouneer Anis, was formerly the Director of the Harpur Memorial Hospital, another of BibleLands' Project Partners.

Current activities

Compassionate ministry:
The Diocese is actively involved in ministries that work to meet the physical and economic needs that exist in the region - demonstrating the love of Christ in action. This Diocesan work includes many of BibleLands' Project Partners, such as: the Deaf Unit and Refuge Egypt, both in Cairo; and the Harpur Memorial Hospital in Menouf. The Diocese also supports a variety of schools for Sudanese refugee children, rehabilitation projects, vocational training for women and children, literacy classes, youth clubs, micro-enterprise programs, nursery schools, centres that care for the elderly, and many other such enterprises.

Church and Muslim/Christian relations:
The Diocese also plays an important role in both interdenominational and interfaith dialogue. Ecumenical cooperation with the historic Coptic Orthodox Church is an important facet of life in the Diocese. Also, the Episcopal Church plays a catalytic role in enhancing the relationship between Muslims and Christians.