Pope of Egypt's Coptic Christian Church dies

[ellisonz]

By LEE KEATH and MAGGIE MICHAEL | Associated Press – 10 mins ago

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Pope Shenouda III, the patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church who led Egypt's Christian minority for 40 years during a time of increasing tensions with Muslims, died Saturday. He was 88.

His death comes as the country's estimated 10 million Christians are feeling more vulnerable than ever amid the rise of Islamic movements to political power after the toppling a year ago of President Hosni Mubarak. The months since have seen a string of attacks on the community, heightened anti-Christian rhetoric by ultraconservatives known as Salafis and fears that coming goverments will try to impose strict versions of Islamic law.

Tens of thousands of Christians packed into the main Coptic cathedral in Cairo on Saturday evening hoping to see his body. Women in black wept and screamed. Some, unable to get into the overcrowded building, massed outside, raising their hands in prayer.

"He left us in a very hard time. Look at the country and what's happening now," said Mahrous Munis, a Christian IT worker in his 30s who was among the crowds. "Copts are in a worse situation than before. God be with us."

More: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-egypts-coptic-christian-church-dies-172147627.html

[Alamuti Lotus]

1. Pope Shenouda: Enemy of Sadat, Friend of Mubarak

Unlike the heads of Egypt’s official Islamic institutions, Coptic Pope Shenouda stood up against Egypt’s former President Anwar Sadat for his normalization with Israel and flirting with Islamist forces. But the late pontiff had little qualms pandering to Mubarak’s rule and his plan for succession.

The percentage of Copts in the total Egyptian population is left for speculation, as all the agencies of the state, whether the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics or the church itself, refuse to disclose such information. Public estimates of Copts range between 10 and 20 percent.

The Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt is in many ways are not much different from official Muslim religious institutions like al-Azhar and Dar al-Ifta in terms of its relation with the ruling authority.

The head of the church, the late Pope Shenouda, had his run-ins with the state under former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, when the pope was exiled to a monastery in the western desert toward the end of the assassinated president’s term.

His relationship with Sadat’s successor, Hosni Mubarak, turned out to be warm and cordial despite all the bloody and violent sectarian incidents against Copts during Mubarak’s reign.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/pope-shenouda-enemy-sadat-friend-mubarak