By Paul Dobbyn
“EGYPT needs your prayers and we are so proud Egypt is the subject of this year’s World Day of Prayer.”
Egypt’s Sydney consul general Ayman Ally Kamel delivered this and several other important messages as guest speaker at this year’s World Day of Prayer held in St Stephen’s Cathedral on March 7.
Mr Kamel also spoke of the hope “that the Egypt that built the pyramids and impressed the whole world” will achieve the goal of a peaceful new society.
“The need to deliver this message – our faith in tolerance and co-existence – draws me all the way from Sydney,” he said.
In his talk he also referred to the remarkable fact that “Egypt was mentioned 91 times in scripture, in 29 books of the Bible”.
At a gathering later, he said Egypt was mentioned more in the Bible than in the Koran.
The consul general’s presence at the ecumenical gathering was an unexpected bonus for Sandy O’Donohue and Heather McIntyre who hosted the event on behalf of Brisbane archdiocese.
“It began when I approached the Egyptian Embassy in Sydney for one of the country’s flags,” Ms O’Donohue said.
“The Consul General Ayman Aly Kamel asked if we had a guest speaker yet.
“I said we didn’t and he said because of the situation in his country he would be glad to speak at the ecumenical service.
“I was absolutely floored and his presence was a great bonus.”
This year’s World Day of Prayer ecumenical service had as its theme “Streams in the Desert”.
The theme linked to prayers for the Christian Churches in Egypt.
The World Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement of Christian women of all traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer on the first Friday of March each year.
More than 3 million people in more 170 countries join in a service prepared by the WDP committee of a different country yearly.
