On Tuesday, thousands upon thousands of Egyptian Christians and Muslim supporters are to gather at the Abbasiya Cathedral in central Cairo to say their goodbyes and pay their respects to Coptic Pope Shenouda III who passed away on Saturday. He was 88-years-old and had been at the head of the Alexandria church for 41 years before his passing. Coptic clergy from around the world were joined by a delegation from the Vatican, diplomats, political figures and Egyptian Christians, all wearing black, gathered in St Mark's Cathedral for the service. Shenouda's body was placed in a closed casket inside the cathedral on Tuesday, after it was displayed in his papal chair for two days. “It is a sad day for Egypt to have to watch the Pope go to his final resting place. I am sad, my friends are sad and it is trouble time,” Mina, a Coptic youth, told Bikyamasr.com via telephone. Egypt's military rulers have declared Tuesday a national day of mourning. Tight security is in place around the cathedral, to which tens of thousands of people have streamed since Shenouda's death. Bishop Pachomious has taken over the papal duties for two months until a new pope is chosen. Egypt's ruling military council announced that Tuesday would be a day of general mourning. Jerusalem churches also announced on Monday that they would align their prayer times with those in Egypt in order to honor the Pope. The Egyptian Coptic community is devastated over his passing, as he was the godfather of Copts for over four decades, advocating for them and mediating with the state to get their rights. They will have Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off, to attend the funeral on Tuesday, and say their final goodbyes. Tens of thousands of Copts arrived early Sunday at the Abbasiya Cathedral, where the Pope's body lies, praying for him and many refused to leave and head back home for the church to be cleaned and prepared for the funeral. Many thousands came from outside of Cairo, to express their love and sadness over his death. The Pope's health had recently deteriorated, and in recent years he took regular medical trips to the United States for treatment. One Egyptian magazine sourced a close associate to the late Pope saying he suffered from lung cancer, although Bikyamasr.com cannot confirm this information. ** Manar Ammar contributed to this report. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/QlzBR Tags: Christian, Coptic, Egypt, featured, Funeral, Shenouda Section: Egypt, Latest News, Religion
