Newspaper Al-Akhbar
Publication date May 7, 1968
Language Arabic
Special Book to Be Published by the Patriarchate on June 25, The Complete Story of the Virgin’s Apparition
The book will include the names, addresses, and reports of those who witnessed the Virgin’s apparition.
It will also feature a message from the Patriarchate to churches around the world and accounts of previous apparitions of the Virgin in Portugal, France, and Jerusalem.
The Patriarch Speaks
Report by: Mikhail Khalil – Albert Tawfik – Farid Adeeb – Sabri Ghoneim – Farouk El-Shazly
No topic now preoccupies the people more than Our Lady’s apparition at her church in Zeitoun. Every evening, thousands flock to the site, faces filled with longing and anticipation, hoping to see her again.
The Cairo Municipality immediately began widening and paving the streets surrounding the church. The Zeitoun Police assigned a special force to organize the crowd and control the parking near the church, as the pressure of the masses had nearly caused the church fence to collapse from people pushing forward to enter.
Every day, and throughout the day, the familiar sight is one of vast human clusters standing steadfast and patient, eyes fixed on the domes of the church, awaiting the Virgin’s appearance. Yet, even when she does not appear, they refuse to leave, remaining in place until the first hours of dawn.
Women and girls have left their homes, carrying food with them; mothers and children, young men and elders stay until morning. When the men depart for work at dawn, the women remain, holding their vigil.
Those who had seen her before tried to assure the new arrivals: “She appears only at night, dressed like a bride in white, and before she comes, flashes of light announce her arrival.”
A Book to Tell the Whole Story
At the same time, the Patriarchate began preparing a comprehensive book recounting the full story of the Virgin’s apparition.
Anba Gregorios, Bishop of Scientific Research and a member of the committee formed by Pope Cyril VI to investigate the healing cases reported by those who had seen the apparition of Our Lady, stated that the committee would begin its work within days. It would first receive as many letters as possible and welcome in person those who had experienced miraculous healings.
The committee’s task would conclude only after scientifically verifying every case submitted. A detailed report would then be compiled and printed in a booklet before June 25, to be distributed among the international delegations attending the inauguration of the new Coptic Cathedral and the entombment of St. Mark’s relics.
By yesterday, the committee had already received numerous letters from people claiming to have seen the Virgin, in addition to dozens of messages sent directly to Pope Cyril, which he referred to the committee. Letters also arrived from people reporting miraculous recoveries.
The healings involved individuals who had partially or completely lost their sight and suddenly regained it upon seeing the Virgin; others who had been deaf and recovered their hearing; and still others who had suffered from psychological or neurological disorders and were cured. There were also cases of people who had long endured chronic rheumatic pain, and were healed.
One of the Cases
During the conversation with Anba Gregorios, Major Mounir Mikhail Mina of the Armed Forces, residing at 79 El-Hegaz Street, Heliopolis, entered and recounted his healing story. He explained that he had suffered from a neurological illness for five years, which had required him to take medication daily throughout that entire period. However, a week earlier, after witnessing the apparition of the Virgin, he no longer felt the need for medication at all. Moreover, his eyesight was restored, after having suffered from a severe weakness in both eyes.
How the Apparition Could Be Photographed
Anba Gregorios spoke about the possibility of photographing the apparition of Our Lady, saying: “I once listened to a lecture by a spiritual scientist in England, who explained that spirits can be photographed using infrared or ultraviolet rays. How much more, then, for the apparition of the Blessed Virgin!
Naturally, such a manifestation cannot be captured clearly with ordinary cameras.”
The Pope Speaks
For the first time since confirming the apparition of the Virgin, His Holiness Pope Cyril VI spoke to Al-Akhbar:
“I thank God for His care and grace upon this faithful and devout nation, and its people who are religious by nature.
We trust that the divine providence of God will continue to shower us all with abundant blessings.
My soul overflows with joy, for the sentiments of the people now revolve around deepening their faith in God, strengthening their trust in a brighter, more peaceful future, one that will lead us to victory and tranquility — for God is with us.
And if God is with us, who can be against us?”
The Pope added: “We are now preparing a message to be sent to the heads of churches around the world, announcing this great apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Zeitoun.”
He also stated that he would visit the Zeitoun Church once the necessary preparations there were complete, noting that: “The expansion projects have not yet been planned architecturally, and this will require some time. The matter is still under study and consideration to enlarge the pilgrimage site, establish a spiritual program for the church, and infuse a sacred atmosphere into this holy place.”
The Patriarchate’s Representative:
The First Time in History:
The truth is that the appearance of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun is the first time that…
she appears to the people, not to individuals only.
For in the other instances around the world before this, she appeared only to specific individuals. Father Timotheos Al-Maharraqi, representative of the Orthodox Patriarchate, says that this is the first time the Virgin Mary’s apparition has continued for a period exceeding a month, daily, and that the purpose of this miracle is to restore faith to the people.
Eighteen Times to a Young Girl
As for the previous apparitions of the Virgin Mary around the world, the first occurred in Lourdes, France, in 1858. There, she appeared eighteen times to a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous, the daughter of a miller.
Bernadette had been sent for a time to serve a wealthy family in Lourdes, who assigned her to watch over their sheep. On February 11, 1858, around noon, Bernadette went with two friends to the riverside to gather firewood. When the church bell rang, she suddenly saw a lady of radiant beauty standing in a nearby grotto, smiling at her.
The lady was brilliantly luminous, dressed in white garments, and held a rosary of snow-white beads on her arm. Seeing her, Bernadette knelt on the ground and tried to make the sign of the cross, but she was so overcome with fear that she could not move. The lady then made the sign of the cross herself, calming Bernadette’s fear.
The lady began praying with her, then disappeared suddenly. Bernadette ran home and told her mother everything that had happened.
On Sunday, February 14, 1858, Bernadette returned to the grotto with her friends. As soon as she began to pray, the lady appeared again. Bernadette sprinkled holy water in the lady’s direction, but the lady only smiled and stepped closer.
Bernadette’s companions could not see the Virgin — they saw only Bernadette’s face shining with a celestial glow. The Virgin then asked the girl to return to the grotto for fourteen consecutive days, bringing with her a large number of people. Bernadette obeyed. By the thirteenth apparition, the crowd had grown to 20,000 people. Though the onlookers could not see the Virgin, they were amazed by the radiant expression on the young girl’s face.
During one apparition, a doctor placed the flame of a candle beneath Bernadette’s hand for fifteen minutes. She did not move or show any sign of pain. When the Virgin finally disappeared, The doctor repeated the test — this time, the girl cried out in pain. On February 18, 1858, the Virgin said to Bernadette: “Go and tell the priests to build a church here.” When the girl relayed this message to the local priest, he replied: “Tell the Lady to prove her power first — let the rose bush at her feet bloom and turn green, even though it’s winter.” Bernadette conveyed this request to the Virgin, who refused and said instead: “Drink from this spring and wash yourself with its water.” Bernadette rushed toward the river, but the Virgin told her: “Do not go there, the spring is here.”
She pointed with her hand to a dry patch of ground, where the girl dug with her fingers, and a spring of water gushed forth instantly, growing stronger until it reached a flow of 85 liters per minute. That spring still flows abundantly to this day, and people from all over the world continue to visit it, seeking healing from illnesses beyond the reach of medicine.
Father Gabriel Ghattas, representative of the Catholic Patriarchate, recounts the second instance of the Virgin Mary’s apparition, this time in the village of Fatima, Portugal, in May 1917, while the people of Portugal were engaged in battle at a place called Farrandra during World War I.
Two girls, Lucia and Jacinta, along with a boy named Francisco, were tending sheep in the fields of Fatima when a violent storm arose. The sky darkened, the sun disappeared, and thunderclaps shook the earth, filling the children with fear. They raised their eyes to the heavens, pleading for mercy, and within moments, they beheld a Lady of radiant beauty, clothed in dazzling white garments, drawing slowly closer to them. With each step she took, the storm subsided, the terror faded, and in its place came calm and peace, until she stood before them, smiling gently, and said: “Do not be afraid.” “I am the Holy Lady, and how deeply I am pained by the sins of humanity that tear at my heart,” she said, and then disappeared. The three children continued to wait for her return on the same day each month, and indeed, she kept appearing to them.
As word of the apparitions spread throughout the country, crowds began pouring into the village of Fatima, filling the vast plains as they awaited the appearance of Our Lady.
During the fourth apparition, the sky shone with a brilliant light, and people noticed that the three children were speaking to someone invisible. The crowd pleaded with the children to ask the Lady to reveal herself or to give a sign that she was truly the Virgin Mary.
When the children relayed this request, the Virgin promised to grant them a sign on October 13, 1917, to prove her identity.
That day, forever remembered in Portuguese history, saw hundreds of thousands streaming toward Fatima until 600,000 people gathered in the heart of the open plain.
Torrential rain poured without ceasing, accompanied by lightning and thunder, as the two girls and the boy stood among the masses. Suddenly, the Virgin appeared, and the three children proclaimed the vision to the crowd.
Immediately, the wind stilled, the rain ceased, and the sun appeared, filling the sky with light. The ground began to dry, the heat grew stronger, and within moments the people’s clothes were completely dry.
A wave of awe swept through the multitude, and the crowd began to plead with the children to intercede for them to ask Our Lady to show mercy and lift her anger from the earth.
Then the Virgin Mary raised her hand toward the sun, and instantly the heat subsided, the air cooled, and the children conveyed her message to the assembled multitude: “Cease from evil, follow the teachings of God, avoid sin, remain faithful to the Church, and show mercy to the world.”
With these words, Our Lady disappeared — and that was her final apparition in Fatima. The third apparition took place in 1954, when the Virgin Mary appeared once before the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during the pilgrimage season, witnessed by a large number of pilgrims.
A Greek woman who had been staying in Alexandria was among those moved by the recent miracle in Zeitoun. Her name was Maria Alfatrin. She had been scheduled to return to her homeland the day before yesterday, but she postponed her departure, took the first train from Alexandria to Cairo, and went directly to the Church of Our Lady in Zeitoun.
The Onlookers
Returning now from this journey through the history of the apparitions to the present to the crowds who gather daily at Zeitoun Church, watching for the miracle or recounting what they have seen.
Mary Saad Gerges, a high school student from Zeitoun, affirmed that she saw the Virgin last Tuesday.
Overcome with joy, she broke into ululations as the vision appeared. She described the halo she saw:
“She was moving while suspended in the air, and at times, the branches of the palm tree inside the church would obscure her when she shifted in that direction.”
Responding to the congregation’s request, the Cairo Municipality intervened and removed the palm tree to ensure that the view of the apparition would remain unobstructed.
The Deprived
Inside the Church of Our Lady lives a family that has served there for fifteen years, a father, mother, and seven children.
They are the only family residing permanently in the church, yet ironically, they are deprived of seeing the Virgin, since the apparition can only be viewed from a particular angle outside the church.
Because of the massive crowds that now fill the premises and keep the doors shut throughout the night, the family can no longer step outside.
One family member, Ayad Ibrahim Youssef, explained:
“My mother and I saw the Virgin as a half-figure in early April, before she began appearing in her full form.
But now, it’s impossible for us to see her again, the crowds are so dense we can’t even leave the church after midnight.”
The Student Deacons
We also spoke with three young deacons from the church, all university students: Atef Aziz, studying at the Faculty of Commerce, Ain Shams University, Magdy Ishaq, and Ezzat Aziz, both students of architecture at the Italian Institute. They said they had witnessed the Virgin first as a half-illuminated form, and later in her full figure, resembling the statue seen in her icons, surrounded by a radiant halo of light.
They have seen her several times, and each time, they call upon the crowd to protect the women and children from the crushing density and to make room for the weak so that all may behold the vision. They also pointed to the church fence, now cracked and close to collapse under the immense pressure of the masses leaning against it.
The Islamic Research Academy Studies the Phenomenon
The Islamic Research Academy is currently examining the phenomenon of the apparition of the Virgin Mary, having requested detailed information and eyewitness accounts from the Church of Zeitoun in preparation for issuing an official statement on the matter.
The Story of the Church
Father Constantine Moussa, pastor of the Church of Our Lady in Zeitoun, stated that the church was built in 1925 AD.
It was constructed at the personal expense of the late Khalil Ibrahim’s children, the late Tawfik Khalil Ibrahim and his sister Victoria Khalil Ibrahim, wife of Murad Wahba, a former minister.
Security Measures Throughout the Night
Major General Mahmoud El-Sebai held a meeting yesterday morning to arrange the necessary security measures in the area surrounding the apparition site of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun.
It was decided that traffic patrols would remain in the area throughout the night.
Colonel Sami Asaad, Director of Investigations, was instructed to assign members of the anti-pickpocket and moral protection units to stay on-site to apprehend suspicious individuals, following numerous reports from citizens about theft and harassment incidents in the crowded area.
The General also ordered that Municipal Police officers remain on duty overnight and that a rescue vehicle be stationed permanently in the area to serve as a temporary police post during the nightly gatherings.