The Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria is a province of the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

. Its territory was formerly the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa. On 29 June 2020 the diocese was elevated to the status of an

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

, and became the forty-first province of the Anglican Communion. The

primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...

and

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

of the province is the Archbishop of Alexandria. Its jurisdiction extends over

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

and the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

, a vast region encompassing the nations of

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

, Egypt,

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, and

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

History

Foundation

The first Anglican missionaries arrived in Egypt in 1819, and the first church building, St Mark's in Alexandria, was consecrated in 1839, followed by All Saints' in Cairo in 1876. Egypt became part of the Diocese of Jerusalem, founded in 1841, and under the metropolitical authority of the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

. Many churches, schools, medical clinics, and hospitals were established by the Anglican community in Egypt and the surrounding territories, and in 1908 the Rev'd

Llewellyn Gwynne Llewellyn Henry Gwynne (11 June 18639 December 1957) was a Welsh Anglican bishop and missionary. He was the first Anglican Bishop of Egypt and Sudan, serving from 1920 to 1946. Early life Llewellyn Henry Gwynne was born in Britain on 11 June ...

was consecrated Bishop of Khartoum, a

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led b ...

to the bishop of Jerusalem, to lead the Anglican community across north Africa. In 1920 the region was formed into a new diocese named the Diocese of Egypt and the Sudan, with Gwynne as the first diocesan bishop in Egypt and the Sudan. The cathedral of the diocese was located at Khartoum, but St Mary's Church in Cairo was made a pro-cathedral for Egypt until 1938, when the new

All Saints' Cathedral All Saints Cathedral or variations may refer to: Argentina * All Saints Cathedral, Santa Fe Canada * All Saints' Anglican Cathedral, Edmonton, Alberta * All Saints Cathedral, Halifax, Nova Scotia Egypt *All Saints' Cathedral, Cairo Hong Kong * A ...

in Cairo was opened and consecrated.

Division of diocese

The diocese was divided in 1945, to form the two separate dioceses. The bishop and the cathedral at Khartoum both continued with the new Diocese of the Sudan. The pro-cathedral in Cairo became the cathedral of the new Diocese of Egypt, and Bishop Geoffrey Allen became the first bishop in Egypt. Owing to the complex political situation in Egypt, the diocese (still under the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury as metropolitan) sought to distance itself from the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

, by adopting the denominational name "Episcopal Church in Egypt". Nonetheless, political tensions led to the seizing or destruction of many Anglican churches and properties in Egypt, and the expulsion of many British clergy. By 1956 there was no resident bishop, and only four priests in the entire diocese, with episcopal supervision temporarily provided by the archbishop in Jerusalem.

Provincial restructuring

In 1976 the new

Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East The Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East is a province of the Anglican Communion. The primate of the church is called President Bishop and represents the Church at the international Anglican Communion Primates' Meetings. The Centra ...

was formed, uniting four dioceses (including Egypt) into a new province. Jerusalem was reduced from an archbishopric to a bishopric, and the province was to be led by a presiding bishop, elected by rotation from amongst the four diocesan bishops of Jerusalem, Egypt, Cyprus, and Iran. In 1978, All Saints' Cathedral in Cairo was destroyed on the orders of the Egyptian Government. A new cathedral in Cairo was constructed and consecrated in 1988, with its architectural style modelled on a

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

tent.

Expansion

As the Diocese of Egypt grew in the early twenty-first century, the bishop established two episcopal areas, appointing an area bishop for the Horn of Africa in 2007, and an area bishop for North Africa in 2009. Following a huge expansion of mission activity in the

Gambela Region The Gambela Region, also spelled Gambella, and officially the Gambela Peoples' Region (), is a regional state in western Ethiopia. Previously known as Region 12, its capital and largest city is Gambela. It is bordered by the Oromia Region to t ...

, a further episcopal area was created in 2019, with Rajan Vincent Jacob, already serving as

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

of Gambella, consecrated as the first area bishop of Gambella. The continued expansion led the diocese to seek authority to separate from the

and form an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. This was approved in 2019 by the synod of the province, and in January 2020 by the

Anglican Communion Primates' Meetings The Anglican Communion Primates' Meetings are regular meetings of the primates in the Anglican Communion, i.e. the principal archbishops or bishops of each (often national) ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion. There are currently 38 ...

. The new Province of Alexandria was formed on 29 June 2020, with the former "Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa" split into four new dioceses. Anthony James Ball (born 1968) was consecrated a bishop on 30 November 2021, to serve as an

assistant bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan bishop, suffragan) bishops – in ...

throughout the province. On 30 November 2023, he became Bishop of North Africa.

Archbishop

The Archbishop of Alexandria is the senior cleric of the Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria. He is the

and

of the province, and the

ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (album) (2011), by Every Little Thing * "Ordinary" (Alex Warren song) (2025) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016 ...

of the Diocese of Egypt.

Dioceses

Diocese of Egypt

The diocese has a cathedral in Cairo and a pro-cathedral in Alexandria. The current bishop, Samy Fawzy, hitherto

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

of the diocese, was installed as Bishop of Egypt and Archbishop of Alexandria on 8 June 2021.

Bishops

The bishops have been: *

(1920–1946) (Bishop in Egypt and the Sudan) **Assistant bishop: Morris Gelsthorpe * Geoffrey Allen (1947–1952) (Bishop in Egypt) * Francis Johnston (1952–1958) (Bishop in Egypt) *''Administered by'' Campbell MacInnes (1959–1969) (Archbishop of Jerusalem) ''during temporary suspension'' * Kenneth Cragg (1969–1974) (Bishop in Egypt) *

Ishaq Musaad Ishaq Musaad was Bishop of Egypt from 1974 to 1982. He studied for the priesthood at St Aidan's College, Birkenhead and was ordained in 1954. After a curacy in Old Cairo he was Curate in charge at Giza until 1961. He was the Chaplain at Helio ...

(1974–1984) (Bishop in Egypt) * Ghais Abdel Malik (1985–2000) (Bishop in Egypt) *

Mouneer Anis Mouneer Hanna Anis (born 8 April 1950) is an Egyptian Anglican bishop. He was Bishop of Egypt from 2000 to 2021, and the first Anglican Archbishop of Alexandria from 2020 to 2021. He was the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem ...

(2000–2020) (Bishop in Egypt and North Africa)

Archbishops

The diocesan bishops following the creation of the new smaller diocese in 2020, and concurrently metropolitan archbishops of the province: *

(2020–2021) (Archbishop of Alexandria and Bishop of Egypt) * Samy Fawzy, (2021–''present'') (Archbishop of Alexandria and Bishop of Egypt)

Churches

Parish churches of the diocese include: *St. Mark's Pro-Cathedral,

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

*Christ the King Church, Ras el Soda, Alexandria *All Saints' Church, Stanley Bay, Alexandria *

Zamalek Zamalek ( , ''al zamalek'') is a ''qism'' (ward) within the West District (''hayy gharb'') in the Western Area of Cairo, Egypt. It is an affluent district on a man-made island which is geologically a part of the west bank of the Nile River, wit ...

, Cairo *Jesus Light of the World Church,

Old Cairo Old Cairo (, Egyptian pronunciation: Maṣr El-ʾAdīma) is a historic area in Cairo, Egypt, which includes the site of a Babylon Fortress, Roman-era fortress, the Christian settlement of Coptic Cairo, and the Muslim-era settlement of Fustat that ...

*Church for the Deaf, Old Cairo *Church of the Good Shepherd, Heliopolis, Cairo *St. John the Baptist Church,

Maadi Maadi ( ) is a leafy and once suburban district in the Southern Area of Cairo, Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile about upriver from downtown Cairo. The modern extensions north east and east of Maadi, New Maadi and Zahraa al-Maadi are admini ...

, Greater Cairo *Church of the Good Shepherd,

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...

, Greater Cairo *St. Mark's Church,

Menouf Menouf (, from ) is a city in Egypt located in the Nile Delta. It has an area of 18.76 square kilometers. The city gave name to the Monufia Governorate that it is located in and it was the capital of the governorate until 1826. Menouf is one of th ...

*St Paul's Church, Ezbit en Nakhl *Church of our Saviour,

Suez Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...

*Church of the Epiphany,

Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...

There are significant congregations without permanent buildings in

Sadat City Sadat City ( ' ) is a city in the Monufia Governorate, Egypt. It is named after late president Anwar Sadat. The city is located northwest of Cairo. It is a first generation new urban community and one of the largest industrial cities in the coun ...

6th of October City 6th of October ( ; ) is a city in the Giza Governorate of Egypt. It is a satellite city, located adjacent to Giza, and is part of the Greater Cairo region.

, and

Hurghada Hurghada (; ', ) is a coastal city that serves as the largest city and capital of the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. Hurghada has grown from a small fishing village to one of the largest resort destinations along the Red Sea coast, stretching c ...

Diocese of North Africa

The diocese is under the direction of its former area bishop, Samy Fawzy (consecrated 27 February 2017), who is also Dean of the Pro-Cathedral in Alexandria, and coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Egypt. The diocese covers Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria. As an episcopal area of the former Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, the area bishops were: *Bill Musk (2008–2015) *Samy Fawzy (2017–2020) Diocesan bishops: * Anthony Ball (January 2024 to January 2025) *

Ashley Null John Ashley Null (born 1960 or 1961) is an American theologian and Anglican bishop. As an academic, he is best known for his research on the theology of Thomas Cranmer, particularly Cranmer's doctrines of repentance and scripture, and his influen ...

(since May 2025) Significant churches include: *Christ the King Church,

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

* St George's Anglican Church,

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

* Holy Trinity Anglican Church,

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

Diocese of the Horn of Africa

The diocese works in

, and

. As an episcopal area of the former Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, the area bishops were: * Andrew Proud (2007–2011) *

Grant LeMarquand Grant LeMarquand (born 1955) is a Canadian Anglican bishop. He was assistant bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Egypt, serving as bishop in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia), for the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the ...

(2012–2018) * Kuan Kim Seng (2019–2020) The diocesan bishops, following the creation of the diocese in 2020: * Kuan Kim Seng (2020–2024) * Martin Gordon Reakes-Williams (2024-present) The most significant church in the new diocese is: * St. Matthew's Anglican Church,

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

Diocese of Gambella

The Gambella (sometimes spelt Gambela) Region of Ethiopia has more than 70 Anglican congregations, and a

theological college A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and Christian theology, theology, generally to prepare them for ordinatio ...

(St Frumentius Theological College) training candidates for ordination. The new diocese has a large number of congregations, but very few church buildings. There are eleven regional mission centres. In June 2020, at the foundation of the Province of Alexandria and the Diocese of Gambella, Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council, drew particular attention to the "enormous growth" in the area, "particularly in the Gambella region of Ethiopia". As an episcopal area of the former Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, the area bishop was: * Rajan Vincent Jacob (2019–2020) The diocesan bishops, following the creation of the diocese in 2020: *Rajan Vincent Jacob (2020–present)

Theological colleges

The province operates three theological colleges for the training of ordained

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and

lay reader In Anglicanism, a licensed lay minister (LLM) or lay reader (in some jurisdictions simply reader) is a person authorised by a bishop to lead certain Church service, services of worship (or parts of the service), to preach and to carry out pastoral ...

s, as well as some theological education for other lay leaders.

Alexandria School of Theology

The Alexandria School of Theology was inaugurated in 2003, and began educating students in 2006. The college is located in the

Diocese of Egypt The Diocese of Egypt (; ) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire (from 395 the Eastern Roman Empire), incorporating the provinces of Egypt and Cyrenaica. Its capital was at Alexandria, and its governor had the unique title of '' praefectus au ...

, and operates across two campuses, one in Alexandria (on the site St Mark's pro-cathedral), and the other in Cairo (on the site of All Saints' Cathedral). Ordination candidates follow a three-year

Diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

in Theology & Ministry course. The college also offers

academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into und ...

courses leading to the degrees of

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a two- to five-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically (but not exclusively) pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, de ...

and

Master of Theology Master of Theology (, abbreviated ThM, MTh or MTheol, or ''Sacrae Theologiae Magister''; abbreviated STM) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a ...

. The College is under the patronage of Saint

Athanasius of Alexandria Athanasius I of Alexandria ( – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th patriarch of Alexandria (as Athanasius ...

St Cyprian College, Tunis

The college is located in the Diocese of North Africa. Launched in 2012 under the direction of Bishop Bill Musk, it was originally a local remote-learning and lay-training project, which developed by 2015 into the St Cyprian Centre with campus facilities adjacent to St George's Church in Tunis. Working with the established Alexandria School of Theology (AST), the centre became St Cyprian College in 2018. It offers a Diploma in Theology & Ministry for ordination candidates and other church leaders, and students can also access the degree programmes of the AST through the college. The college is under the patronage of Saint Cyprian.

St Frumentius Theological College, Gambella

The college is located in the Diocese of Gambella, and also provides training for the Diocese of the Horn of Africa. It opened in 2015, and provides training for church leaders across Ethiopia. The college uses the tag line "A College of the Anglican Church in Ethiopia". Students training for ordination follow the full-time three-year Diploma in Theology & Ministry. There is also a six-year (part-time) Diploma in Pastoral Ministry aimed at a range of lay leadership roles within the church. At the launch of the college in 2015 Anis said "I believe that St. Frumentius’ College will transform the Church in the Horn of Africa, as we seek to develop a mature and fully indigenous church". The college is under the patronage of Saint Frumentius of Ethiopia.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexandria Christian organizations established in 2020 Anglican dioceses in Africa Anglicanism in Egypt Anglicanism in Ethiopia Christian organizations established in 1920 Christianity in Libya Christianity in Djibouti Protestantism in Somalia Christianity in Eritrea Protestantism in Ethiopia Protestantism in Algeria Christianity in Tunisia Anglican dioceses established in the 20th century Anglican dioceses established in the 21st century

History

Foundation

Division of diocese

Provincial restructuring

Expansion

Archbishop

Dioceses

Diocese of Egypt

Bishops

Archbishops

Churches

Diocese of North Africa

Diocese of the Horn of Africa

Diocese of Gambella

Theological colleges

Alexandria School of Theology

St Cyprian College, Tunis

St Frumentius Theological College, Gambella

See also

References

External links