CAIRO (Update 2) - Pope Shenouda III, the head of Egypt's Coptic Church, died at the age of 88, state television and church officials said on Saturday. State television said he had been suffering from liver, lung and colon problems. The broadcaster added that thousands of Egyptian Christians gathered at the main Cathedral in Cairo to pay their final respects to Shenouda, whose funeral ceremony will be held on Tuesday. Ali Gomaa, the grand Mufti of Al-Azhar, the Muslim World's largest Sunni institue, described Shenouda's death as 'a tragedy and great blow to Egypt and its people.' The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, which has the largest number of seats in parliament, also mourned Shenouda and praised him for his 'nationalistic history and significant contributions.'. The liberal al-Wafd party praised the Pope for his 'wisdom that spared Egypt sectarian strife.' The ruler of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, sent his condolences to the Egyptian people, describing Shenouda as a symbol of tolerance, coexistence, who was eager to keep Egypt united. Over the past few years, Pope Shenouda had been abroad for medical treatment and his health had recently deteriorated. 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 per cent of the 80-million population.
