Pope Shenouda III, 117th
Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, passed away recently on March 17, 2012. As
many people may have learned from listening to the news on the Arab Spring this
past year, Pope Shenouda III led the Coptic (meaning “Egyptian”) Orthodox
community for the past 40 years and has been a strong advocate of the rights of
the minority group living there. His death, at 88, was caused by a litany of
illnesses he had been battling with for years, the most destructive being his
colon cancer.
As thousands of tearful
mourners crowded into the Abbassiya cathedral,
some standing outside, to watch the procession of the funeral an even greater
level of loss was felt. Pope Shenouda III had been the prime guardian of the
minorities in Egypt, advocating equality and religious tolerance for all,
pleading that an attempt at national unity should be done “for the sake of
Egypt."
His death has left many
Copts—who are living in a politically unstable nation—feeling uncertain and
even vulnerable to what may happen in the future. Unlike previous Popes, who
either chose to lead reclusive lives or were restricted because of Egypt’s
technological limitations, Pope Shenouda was able to have his sermons and
liturgies broadcasted across Egypt and the rest of the world, to the Copts,
such as my parents, who had left Egypt and settled elsewhere. This advancement
brought new attention to the power of influence the Pope had to President
Sadat.
Accusing him of
attempting to create strife between Muslims and Christians, President Sadat
exiled Pope Shenouda in 1981 along with eight bishops and 24 priests. However,
after Sadat’s assassination, the new president (Mubarak) continued the policy
for only another five years before giving in to the demands of the Christians
and allowing him to return. During his time in exile, the Pope wrote many
religious books, many of which praised virtues such as peace and love. He wrote
of their importance, especially in a nation where political and religious
strife had roots hundreds of years old.
At the funeral, an
Islamist figure, Yusuf El-Qaradawi, mourned alongside the Copts, and in a later
interview praised Pope Shenouda for his piety and tolerance of Islam. Being a
Copt myself, I obviously feel deeply remorseful for his departure, but I also feel
a sense of hope. Perhaps the memory of his religious tolerance (in a country
that doesn’t guarantee it) will inspire others to do the same. And perhaps
then, Egypt will once again know peace.