Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to extend a most warm welcome on behalf of myself and the many Coptic Christians in my electorate of Hughes to Pope Tawadros II, the Patriarch of millions of Coptic Christians around the world. The Pope is an inspirational leader of the Coptic Christians, who face daily persecution by Islamic extremists in their homeland of Egypt. It was only in May of this year that ISIS gunmen brutally attacked a bus heading for a monastery, killing 29 Coptic Christians, including women and children. Such atrocities are to be condemned as having no place in a civilised society.

During these challenging times, Australia stands with our Coptic community, which is now estimated at more than 100,000 people across Australia. I'm also honoured to have St Mark's Coptic Orthodox College in Wattle Grove in my electorate. It does a fantastic job educating our youth. It's been great to see the Coptic community growing and contributing so much here in Australia. From humble beginnings back in 1969, when there was only one priest and one church, we now have 72 Coptic priests and 40 Coptic churches.

It's wonderful to have Pope Tawadros visit Australia for the first time since being ordained in 2012. He certainly has a full schedule of meetings in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, including with the Prime Minister. To the Pope, a hearty welcome from all Australians

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