In 2009, the Virgin began visiting Christians and Muslims again in Egypt

Forty-two years after the apparitions of Zeitoun, and 10 years after those of Assiut, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians, both Christians and Muslims say that they are currently seeing the Virgin Mary. This is happening while pogroms are being waged everywhere against Christians.

"El Adra, El Adra!” (The Blessed Virgin!) This cry in Arabic bursts out as soon as the luminous form believed to be the Madonna moves on the facade of the church of Archangel Michael, in El Waraq, Lower Egypt. Waraq el Hadar is an island on the Nile near the famous pyramids of Giza. This bright figure, whom the crowds identify as the Virgin Mary, has been appearing there since December 2009.

As always in Egypt, both the Christians and the Muslims see her. These luminous apparitions are like those of Zeitoun in 1968. But back in 1968 only a few people were able to photograph her, whereas in 2009 technology has improved so much that anyone can film the apparition with a cell phone. These amateur videos have spread around the world in great numbers on Youtube, Dailymotion and Facebook.

On December 20, 2009, the apparition remained visible throughout the night, and huge doves of light were seen flying by in groups of three or seven. On the 22nd, mysterious lights were seen in the sky of Cairo – the second largest megacity in the world after Mexico City – throughout the city: in the suburbs of Choubra, Zeitoun, Ezbet el Nakhl in the ragmen district of the Cairo, but also throughout Egypt: in the delta, in the oasis of Fayoum, in Port Said, in Minia in Middle Egypt, and as far as Upper Egypt in Luxor and Aswan.

These unexplained phenomena are passionately commented on national television and newspapers, without anyone disputing their reality.

The manifestations, described as supernatural, were confirmed by the Coptic Orthodox Bishop of Giza, Archbishop Theodosius. They are occurring in a painful context: we all remember the killing by machine gun of seven faithful, including 19-year-old Abanoub, in Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt, during the Orthodox Christmas Eve (January 6th) as they were leaving midnight Mass.

For the Copts there is no doubt that these apparitions are genuine: it seems evident that the Mother of God, by making herself visible to Muslims above churches, is telling them to stop the violent persecution of Christians.

Marie-Gabrielle Leblanc, February 6, 2010

France Catholique magazine