Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, who is one of the co-chairs of the Lausanne-Orthodox Initiative (LOI) was given the prestigious Coventry Cross of Nails at Coventry Cathedral, UK, during the Easter Sunday service last month.
The Coventry Cross of Nails is recognised throughout the world as a symbol of peace and reconciliation. Although it has been awarded to hundreds of charities and organisations over many years, it is only rarely presented to individuals. It is identical to the cross regularly worn by the Bishop of Coventry, the Dean and Canons of Coventry Cathedral, the Bishop of Warwick and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The gift of this cross is in recognition of Bishop Angaelos’ extensive advocacy work and his particular focus on dialogue, conflict-resolution, and reconciliation.
The Rt Revd Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry, said:
‘It will be a great joy to welcome Bishop Angaelos to Coventry Cathedral as our Easter Day preacher. I’m thrilled that he will become a bearer of the Coventry Cross of Nails. I know that the Coventry story means a great deal to Bishop Angaelos and I am sure that it will be an aid to his own remarkable efforts to speak words of speak and to encourage words of reconciliation in a world of violence where the innocent, including vulnerable minorities, are victims of terrible cruelty’.