Baba Shenouda, Coptic Christian pope, dies in Cairo

--> Jessica Rizk remembers the day that the Coptic Orthodox spiritual leader, Pope Shenouda III, consecrated Western Pennsylvania's only Coptic church five years ago. "The fact that he came to our smaller church meant a lot to us," Rizk, 28, of Penn Hills said on Saturday of the Sept. 2, 2007, ceremony at St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church in Ambridge. "It was a very important day." Shenouda, patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church Alexandria who led Egypt's minority Christians for 40 years during a time of increased tensions with the majority Muslim community, died yesterday in Cairo. He was 88. Shenouda, known in Cairo in Arabic as Baba Shenouda, led one of the world's oldest churches, which traced its founding to St. Mark in the 1st century. Shenouda suffered from the effects of cancer and died of a heart attack yesterday afternoon. As news broke in Cairo, Coptic Christians gathered in the Coptic Cathedral and other churches across the city and country to pay their respects, some showing the cross tattoos on their wrists to gain entry. Some television stations put a black stripe across the left corner of the screen in mourning, in addition to their coverage of the life of Shenouda. Muslim and political leaders offered their condolences. The head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Mohammed Morsi, offered his condolences regarding Shenouda "after his long patriotic history and enormous contributions to the nation." His death occurs as minority Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the population, feel particularly vulnerable. Since last year's revolution that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt has witnessed the rise of the Islamists, the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultraconservative Salafis who now dominate the parliament. This past year, Egyptians witnessed the highest rate of sectarian attacks on Christians. The attacks included church arsons, mobs damaging Christian homes and shops and the Egyptian military killing Christian protesters. "Pope Shenouda was both a spiritual and political leader for the Christians," said Egyptian blogger Big Pharaoh. "I think Christians will feel more insecure now." The funeral service will be held in three days' time to accommodate all of the people who will attend, including religious and world leaders. The Orthodox Church's General Congregation Council will convene at some point and nominate three bishops to occupy the position. Their names will be written on three pieces of paper, and a blindfolded child will pick one of the papers to choose the new pope. Religious sources say it is so that the will of God plays a role in the process. "He was like a grandfather," Rizk said of her recollection of the pope's visit to Ambridge; he also visited Pittsburgh in 1989. "By looking at him, you could tell he had a lot of knowledge. He looked wise beyond his years." Rizk said that each Christmas and Easter, the priest at St. Mary's would read a letter from the pope at midnight Mass on various topics that "reminded us what's important." Many Coptic households have a picture of the pope framed and hanging or photos tucked inside Bibles. "Before an important interview or before a test or if you're going through a hard time, sometimes people keep a picture under their pillow or in their purse," said Rizk, an employee of the career services center at the University of Pittsburgh. "It's kind of a small blessing in tough times." Coptic Christians trace their roots to the flight to Egypt by Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. Pope Shenouda III was born in 1923 as Nazeer Gayed in Upper Egypt. As a teenager in Cairo, he became active in a Sunday school movement, then graduated in 1949 from Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary and later joined its faculty. At 31, he entered Al Suriyan Monastery in Wadi Natroun, in Egypt's western desert. He spent six years living as a hermit in a cave before becoming a priest and taking the name Father Antonious Al-Suriyani. In 1962, his predecessor, Pope Cyril VI, appointed him bishop and dean of the Coptic seminary, where he tripled its attendance. He was consecrated His Holiness Pope Shenouda III in 1971, the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

Posted via email from deaconjohn's posterous