Egypt's Coptic Pope Shenouda III was a man who battled between the state and his congregation over the past few years of his reign, and life. Often seen as the bridge between the former government of Hosni Mubarak, he was often reviled by his own faithful, but in recent years, his outspoken belief that Christians and Muslims could live in peace had found him new support. Initially on the edge of supporting the uprising in January 2011, Shenouda came around by the end, showing leadership and support for his fellow Egyptians to overcome dictatorship and injustice. But since the January uprising, he had come to be a voice for the Coptic community, especially after the Maspero Massacre on October 9 last year, when the military opened fire and ran over Coptic Christians demanding more rights in central Cairo. Seen by many as a distinguished religious leader, a profound theologian and a spiritual father, Pope Shenouda III led Egypt's Coptic Egyptian church for more than 40 years. Shenouda, who health had deteriorated in recent weeks, died on Saturday at the age of 88. For years, he advocated Christian unity and dialogue and devoted his writings and teachings to spread a message of peace, dialogue and forgiveness. Thousands of Egyptian Christians gathered at the main Cathedral in Cairo to pay their final respects to Shenouda, whose burial ceremony will be held on Tuesday. He was enthroned as the 117th Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church in November 1971, leading most of Egypt's Christians, who make up some 10 percent of the 80 million population. “I thought he did well as a spiritual leader in a country where the government tried to rule religion,” Hani, a Coptic man who had gathered on Saturday evening to show his support for the man. Born in southern Egypt to a religious family, Shenouda wrote almost 100 books on a variety of subjects. He gave a weekly sermon, which he only cancelled when he was critically ill. The 40th anniversary of his enthronement in November was overshadowed by fears among Egypt's Christians that the rise of Islamists following the revolution that ousted Mubarak last year would further sideline the Copts. “Their blood does not come cheap,” Shenouda said in a sermon following the bloody violence that faithful October night, and was interrupted with chants against Egypt's ruling military council. But he refused to get political at the time. He did face much criticism over the years, especially his backing of Mubarak despite calls by Christians on him to address their concerns of government discrimination against them. He was criticized in the early days of the popular uprising that forced Mubarak to resign last year for calling on protesters to end their rallies. He later praised the youth of the revolution and the military after Mubarak stepped down. On September 3, 1981, then-president Anwar Sadat signed a decree deposing Pope Shenouda and forcing him to stay at the Monastery of Saint Pishoy in northern Egypt. He remained there for over three years, until Egypt's High Court issued a ruling in his favor and Mubarak released him in 1985. Leading political groups have mourned Shenouda as a “wise” and “nationalistic leader” who spared Egypt “sectarian strife.” His death will likely be under observation, as the Islamic rise in Egypt has left worries that religious divides can create violent reprisals if steps, much as Shenouda attempted in recent months, are not taken to dispel tension and turmoil. ** with dpa BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/MZ0yG Tags: Coptic, Egypt, featured, Obituary, Shenouda Section: Egypt, Latest News, Religion
