Fall of an Eastern Patriarch
1 | EGYPT
Thousands of Christian worshippers and prominent members of Egyptian society, including officials of powerful Islamist political parties, filled Cairo's St. Mark's Cathedral and surrounding streets for the funeral of Pope Shenouda III, the spiritual leader of Egypt's Coptic Christian community. Shenouda died on March 17 at 88 after presiding for more than four decades over the largest Christian community in the Middle East--roughly 6 million Egyptians. A controversial and conservative leader, he upheld the church's strict antidivorce policy and initially strove to keep Christian youth out of Tahrir Square during last year's successful...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
