Showing posts with label Pope Tawadros II. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pope Tawadros II. Show all posts

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Sensation! Pope Tawadros and Saudi Ambassador Agree to Open Saudi Arabia’s First Church

Pope Tawadros II
MIDEAST CHRISTIAN NEWS: A reliable source has told MCN that Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of Saint Mark's Episcopate, has reached an agreement with the Saudi ambassador in Cairo, Ahmed Kattan, to establish the first church ever built inside Saudi Arabia. » | Irin Moussa | MCN | Cairo | Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Coptic Pope Tawadros II Enthroned

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The new pope of Egypt's Orthodox Coptic church has been enthroned in an elaborate ceremony lasting nearly four hours, attended by the nation's Muslim prime minister and a host of Cabinet ministers and politicians.

Pope Tawadros II, 60, was elected earlier this month but the official enthronement ceremony was held on Sunday at the Coptic cathedral in Cairo. He replaced Shenouda III, who died in March after leading the ancient church for 40 years.

The packed cathedral repeatedly erupted into applause as the ceremony progressed. The ceremony's climax came when the papal crown was placed on Tawadros' head before he sat on the throne of St. Mark, the Coptic church's founding saint. » | Source: AP | Sunday, November 18, 2012

Monday, November 12, 2012

Militany Muslim Salafists Seize Church Land in Cairo in Protest of New Copt Leader

CATHOLIC ONLINE: Militants seize the South Mina Church in Shubra al-Kheima, in city's center

Nearly 100 Muslim extremists - the hard-line Salafists in Egypt, wielding sticks and rods seized land near the South Mina Church in Shubra al-Kheima last week. The seizure of the land in the middle of Cairo was in protest of the election of the new Copt leader, Patriarch Tawadros II, who was selected in a ceremony last week.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Police reportedly stood idly as the Islamists occupied the parcel of land for more than a day. Signs were erected which read "Al-Rahma Mosque." Law enforcement later moved in after the Interior Ministry was notified.

The demonstration deemed symbolic in nature was in reprisal against a statement by newly elected Patriarch Tawadros II against having Sharia law included in the new Egyptian constitution. Bishop Antonius Morcos, who is the spokesman for Patriarch Shenouda III's successor, heads the diocese. » | Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM) | Sunday, November 11, 2012

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

How Will the New Coptic Pope Deal with the New Islamist Egypt?

TIME – EXTRACT: Shenouda’s ultimate legacy is probably twofold. He made it nearly impossible for Coptic married couples to divorce within the church; and he made a strategic decision to ally his church with Mubarak’s government as a means of assuring his community’s safety. That last stance often led Shenouda into embarrassing situations like repeated public endorsements of Mubarak — including one in the midst of the 2011 revolution that ended Mubarak’s reign.

Under Shenouda, the Coptic Church struck a common Middle Eastern bargain: the religious or ethnic minority allies itself with an authoritarian ruler as protection against the Muslim majority. But in Egypt and elsewhere, that bargain is now obsolete. Secularist dictators like Mubarak have been replaced and Christian communities must fend for themselves — often with elected Islamist governments. With Morsy, a lifelong Muslim Brotherhood official, occupying the presidential palace and a new constitution being drafted by a council dominated by Islamists, one of Tawadros’ first challenges will be managing this redefined relationship between church and state.

It will be a daunting task. Even before the revolution, a younger generation of politicized Copts had long since stopped expecting political courage or leadership from the church. They regarded Shenouda’s policies as far too conciliatory — desperately dedicated to staying on the good side of the Mubarak government, no matter what the cost was. Read the whole article here » | Ashraf Khalil | Monday, November 05, 2012
Egypt's New Coptic Christian Pope Speaks Out Against Islamic Tone In Draft Constitution

FOX NEWS: CAIRO – Egypt's new Coptic pope said Monday the constitution now being drafted will not be acceptable if it is overtly religious, a sign he would campaign with his Christian minority and secular groups against increasing Islam's role in the new charter.

In an interview aired Monday, a day after he was selected patriarch of Egypt's Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II said the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak last year has opened the way for a larger Coptic public role.

He said as pope, he will encourage the Christian community to participate more in political and public life, as well as elections. He charged that the country's Christian minority has been "intentionally" marginalized for years.

"After tens of years of marginalization and fake democracy, this has made some Copts isolated," he said in the interview aired on the private TV station ONTV.

"This is changing bit by bit, and it will take time. It needs encouraging, and so long as society is fair, and democracy is built fairly, you will see participation."

Tawadros said Egypt's richness lies in its cultural mix between Muslims and Christians. » | Associated Press | Monday, November 05, 2012