Area Dean Canon Medhat greets the Pope on behalf of Anglicans in Morocco


The Revd Canon Dr Medhat Sabry, Chaplain of St John the Evangelist, Casablanca and St Augustine of Hippo, Rabat, and Area Dean of Morocco and the Canary Islands was was able to extend greetings to His Holiness Pope Francis last weekend. The Holy Father was on an apostolic visit to the Kingdom of Morocco. The Papal Visit was clearly an encouragement to all Christians in the Kingdom and encouraged them to “to persevere on the path of dialogue with our Muslim brothers and sisters and to cooperate in making visible that universal fraternity which has its source in God.”

The Pope also spoke during his visit of the ministry of the Church among migrants and refugees, a particularly pertinent issue for Moroccan Churches, including our own congregations of the Church of England in that country. His Holines made four recommendations for Church action:

1. Welcome: offering broader options for migrants and refugees to enter destination countries safely and legally.
2. Protection: defending the rights and dignity of migrants and refugees, independent of their legal status.
3. Promotion: ensuring that everyone, migrants and local residents alike, can enjoy a safe environment in which they can develop all their gifts.
4. Integration: engaging in a process that enhances both the cultural heritage of the welcoming community and that of migrants, thus building an open and intercultural society.

In St John's Casablanca our congregaiton is in the midst of a major development to construct a community centre to serve both the members and the Church's outreach to migrants. In St Andrew's Tangier, with the help of USPG, our priest, Fr Dennis Obidiegwu, serves both the European members and the more recent population of Sub-Saharan migrants and refugees. 


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