History witnesses Coptic Orthodox mass in KSA

For the first time in its history, the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church celebrated a mass for Christians in Saudi Arabia.

According to El-Keraza, the church's official magazine, Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church held its first-ever Christmas eve mass for Coptic Egyptians and Eritreans living in Saudi Arabia. El-Keraza thanked the Saudi ambassador to Cairo for facilitating the visit. 

Over the period of a month, the Metropolitan of Shubra al-Kheima, Bishop Morcos (or Mark), led masses in visits to Christians in Riyadh, Jeddah and other Saudi cities, with the Saudi authorities' blessing and support. The tour came to an end with the Divine Liturgy, which was held to commemorate Orthodox Christmas on the evening of January 6 of the Gregorian calendar, the New Arab reported.

El-Keraza read, “The credit for this modernization and openness goes to the King and His Highness the Crown Prince, who represents the young generation that is moving towards the horizons of the developed world with full strength and vitality. May God protect the Kingdom and long live our country, Egypt,” according to Egypt Independent. 

The Egyptian embassy in Saudi Arabia hosted a special dinner for the Coptic group that helped in the bishop's visit. The church’s magazine referred to Saudi Arabia as a sister Arab Islamic state to Egypt and said that the Kingdom is experiencing development, prosperity, and openness to international societies in a strong and modern way, enabling it to be an influential voice among all nations, according to Egypt Independent. 

It is worth mentioning that since 2015, Bishop Morcos has made nine annual trips to Saudi Arabia, each of which has lasted an average of two weeks. Morcos led the first Christian mass celebrated in Saudi Arabia in 2018 at Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's invitation, Ahram Online reported. 

Christians in KSA 

As it seeks to compete with regional neighbors like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia has achieved a lot with the recent implementation of the 2030 reform vision adopted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

It was reported in 2019 that there are 1.4 million non-Arab and Arab Christians in the Saudi kingdom, including Lebanese, Syrians, and Egyptians. Three million Egyptians, many of them Copts, are employed in Saudi Arabia. However, all residents are regarded as Muslims by the Saudi state and are required to follow Islamic Sharia Law, according to Egyptian Streets. 

Following a centuries-old custom, the Gulf nation had severe regulations on the practice of non-Islamic faiths and forbids the construction of churches and other non-Islamic religious structures. However, Saudi Arabia has experienced social liberalization in recent years with openness in entertainment and tourism, the New Arab reported.