Posts Tagged ‘Egypt’

Egyptian bishop hopes next president will protect Christians

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

The Egyptian elections are causing serious doubts among the country’s Christians about whether the next president will protect their rights, with the Muslim Brotherhood’s commitment being especially unclear, a senior Catholic bishop in Egypt has said. “We have a situation with the elections and the constitution and the future of our country – whoever wants Read more

Christians bid farewell to Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

Christians gathered on Sunday to pay final respects to Pope Shenouda III, who sought to soothe sectarian tension in his four decades atop Egypt’s Orthodox Church but saw increasing flare-ups in the majority Muslim nation in the last months of his life. Friction has worsened since President Hosni Mubarak, who suppressed Islamists, was ousted last Read more

Coptic Pope dies in Egypt amid Church’s struggles

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

Pope Shenouda III, who led the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt for four decades, expanding the church’s presence around the world as he struggled, often unsuccessfully, to protect his Christian minority at home, died on Saturday after a long illness, state media reported.

Pope Shenouda, who was 88, had suffered from cancer and kidney problems for years.

His death comes at a time of rising fears for Egypt’s 10 million Coptic Christians, who have felt increasingly vulnerable since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak and amid attacks on churches by hard-line Islamists and repression by Egypt’s security forces.

The rise to power of conservative Islamist parties has also raised concerns that Egyptian national identity is becoming more closely bound to Islam.

“It’s an injection of uncertainty for Copts at a time of transition in the country,” said Michael Wahid Hanna, a fellow at the Century Foundation. “Whether people were fond of him or not, this will cause anxiety.”

On Saturday night, hundreds of Coptic Christians gathered at Cairo’s main cathedral to grieve.

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Too much foreign support concerns Egypt’s Coptic Christians

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Egypt’s Coptic Christians are worried by increased attacks on them and their churches by muslims and the military and would rather not draw too much attention to themselves by accepting too much foreign aid. A minority group in a Muslim country, they fear a backlash and so at this time when all Egyptians are suffering Read more

Coptic Pope rejects call for international investigation

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Pope Shenouda III, the head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church, rejected demands by some families of victims of the Maspero violence on 9 October to open an international investigation into the issue, claiming that their mournful thoughts are causing them to make the request. The Church can not accept the demand given the current situation Read more

Christian demonstrators killed in Egypt

Friday, October 14th, 2011

The Catholic Church in Egypt has implicated the regime in the deaths of 25 people, most of them Copts, in the worst outbreak of violence since the fall of Mubarak. The Church claimed that the army and police “used” a mob of street fighters armed with rifles, sticks, stones and swords who it says carried Read more