Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal to Br. Magdy Helmy, OFM
For his service to the Church in Libya
16 September 2025As a sign of gratitude for the pastoral and institutional service rendered to the Church in Libya, the Holy Father Leo XIV granted Br. Magdy Helmy, OFM, the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal. The communication was transmitted by the Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli, Msgr. George Bugeja, OFM, with a letter registered on the 23rd July 2025 (Prot. No. 07/2025).
The honour reportedly recognizes Br. Magdy's commitment to pastoral ministry and the trust established over the years both with Msgr. Giovanni Martinelli, predecessor of the current Vicar, and with Msgr. Bugeja himself. The award also enhances Br. Magdy's collaboration with the Apostolic Nunciature and the Secretariat of State, in particular in the preparation in Arabic of the documentation requested by the local government authorities.
The official document and the medal arrived at the Apostolic Nunciature in Malta and were delivered in August. "I am writing with great satisfaction to inform you that the Holy Father Leo XIV has granted the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal to Br. Magdy Helmy, OFM, for the commitment and service given to this missionary church in Libya...", reads the official letter of Mgr. George Bugeja, OFM.
What is the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal?
The Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal is a Pontifical decoration, instituted by Leo XIII in 1888 on the occasion of his priestly jubilee, conferred on lay people and clerics for prolonged and exceptional service to the Church or to the Roman Pontiff.
