On the Thursday, 28th April, 2011, at 7.00 p.m. Metropolitan Seraphim El-Suriany, Head of the British Orthodox Church, within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, will preside at an Ecumenical Service at Cospicua Parish Church. Metropolitan Seraphim will deliver a sermon on Building Bridges: A Witness to be borne jointly. The Coptic Christians who fell victims to violence in the last months will be commemorated.
On Friday, 29th April, 2011, at 7.00 p.m. Seraphim El-Suriany will be delivering a Public Lecture on Believing in Dialogue: Preventing the Misuse of Faith. This will be held at the Aula Magna, University of Malta, Valletta Campus.
Abba Seraphim El-Suriani (born William Henry Hugo Newman-Norton on 27 Feb. 1948 in London, UK) is the Metropolitan of Glastonbury and Head of the British Orthodox Church within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. In this capacity he is a member of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria.
Metropolitan Seraphim was ordained as a Deacon of the British Orthodox Church in 1967, and then as a priest in 1971. During this time he was Diocesan Secretary between 1968 and 1977. He served as an Assistant Priest in Blackheath, London between 1972 and 1977. He was consecrated as Coadjutor Bishop to the Metropolitan of Glastonbury, 1977, then succeeded him as Metropolitan of Glastonbury in 1979.
He was consecrated as a Metropolitan of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. In 1994 he became a monk of the Monastery of the Holy Virgin Mary
Metropolitan Seraphim has many theological, biographical and historical articles in numerous religious and scholarly journals. He was also editor of The Orthodox Catholic Review, between 1967 and 1968 and Glastonbury Review (previously Glastonbury Bulletin) since 1971.