Egypt: Pope Shenouda III, aged 89, has died

Egypt’s Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria Cairo – Akram Ali Egypt’s Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria died on Saturday, aged 89, after a long struggle with disease, church sources announced. The Coptic Orthodox Church has announced a state of mourning, adding that it will start the burial sermons after the arrival of all the bishops of the Coptic Church from all over Egypt and abroad.
According to the Coptic Church’s regulations on choosing a new pope, nearly two thousands Coptic clergymen and public figures will convene within a week to start the elections process.
Shenouda’s death marked the end of an era in which he played a pivotal role in the unprecedented expansion of the Coptic Church abroad.
He also oversaw a transformation of the church from a strictly religious institution to a social and political umbrella that endeavored to represent the Copts.
Shenouda’s death comes at a time when Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 85 million, feel targeted by instances of sectarian violence. Several attacks against churches in the past year following the ousting of the former president Hosni Mubarak have raised fears, in addition to the killing of 27 protesters and one soldier on 9 October 2011 during bloody clashes between armed forces and protesters following a mostly Coptic march outside of the Maspero state television building in Cairo.
Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), in a message on its Facebook page, said that it hopes that the Pope’s wishes of “preserving the unity of Egypt and the unity of its social fabric” will be achieved.
SCAF said that they call on the Egyptian people in such great loss to “consolidate with each other in order to pass with Egypt towards security and stability.”
Egypt’s Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayeb in a lengthy statement expressed his sympathy with the Christian community over the death of Pope Shenouda, saying that he was a respected national figure. Al-Tayeb said that Al-Azhar “greatly remembers his vision towards Jerusalem and its history.”
The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party also issued a statement signed by Mohamed Morsi, the chairman of the party, in which the party commemorated Pope Shenouda, whose life, the statement said, was “a long journey of big contribution in various fields domestically and abroad.”
For his part, US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama also offered their respects.
"Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Coptic Christian Pope Shenouda III, a beloved leader of Egypt’s Coptic Christians and an advocate for tolerance and religious dialogue. We stand alongside Coptic Christians and Egyptians as they honor his contributions in support of peace and cooperation.”
Obama added that Shenouda’s “commitment to Egypt’s national unity is also a testament to what can be accomplished when people of all religions and creeds work together.”
Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri said in a statement “I give my sincere condolences to the Coptic brothers home and abroad.” He said that Pope Shenouda was a “national character and a symbol for patriotism and he gained wide respect and appreciation from the Egyptian people.”
Former Prime Minister Essam Sharaf remembered Shenouda as a “devout clergyman, a good citizen and a valuable leader."
"His memory will remain in our hearts. His vision was always that Egypt is not the country that we live in; but the country that lives in us,” Sharaf said.
Presidential Hopeful Ahmed Shafiq also issued a statement, saying that Egypt has lost a “unique religious leader and a distinguished character in the national history.” He added that he trusts that the “Coptic church will pass this hard moment because of the great legacy of Pope Shenouda.”
Presidential hopeful Amr Moussa called Pope Shenouda “a great man who was working for the interests of the country. He was working for Egypt to stand as a unified front against the challenges facing the nation.”
As for Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, presidential candidate, his campaign said that Fotouh had spoken with Bishop Moussa, the Orthodox Church's bishop of the youth. In his call, his campaign said, he expressed his sincere condolences to the Coptic Church and Copts in Egypt and abroad.
As of late Saturday, no statement had been issued from any figures belonging to the hardline Islamist Salafi movement or from the Salafi Nour Party.
The Coptic patriarch suffered from back and kidney problems for years and repeatedly travelled to the United States for medical treatment. "Pope Shenouda  died from complications in health and from old age," his political adviser Hany Aziz said.
He was born on 3 August 1923 in Asiut, Upper Egypt and has been the Pope of Alexandria since November 1971 when President Anwar El-Sadat was in power.
"We lost today a great icon. His presence was crucial in repelling many threats against the country,” Amin Eskandar, a member in the People’s Assembly (parliament's lower house), said in a phone call with state television channel Nile News.
Bishop Bakhomious (Pachomious) of Behera will head the Coptic Orthodox church for an interim period of two months. The General Congregation Council, which is part of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, will nominate three bishops, one of which is to succeed Pope Shenouda III.
The names of the three bishops will be written on three papers, and a child will randomly pick one of them. This way is used in order for the "will of God" to play a role in the process.