Reflecting on the Papal Shrines
Five people were killed yesterday at St. Bishoy Monastery, crushed to death visiting the shrine of Pope Shenouda. I was nearly there, along with my three year old daughter. It was meant to be part two of my visits to the shrines of the most recent popes. The second leg was not planned with the [...]
Selecting the Next Pope
Near thirty journalists gathered at the Cairo Foreign Press Association headquarters to gain insight on the process involved in selecting a successor to the recently deceased Pope Shenouda. Arab West Report presented its research on the subject, accepting also further inquiries. The March 27 meeting was opened by FPA board member Sayid Ghuriyat, and presided [...]
A Salafi Speaks in Church on Shenouda
The evening was supposed to be about Fatima Naout and Pope Shenouda. It turned out to be so much more. That it included Fatima Naout is semi-exceptional in itself. St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Maadi invited her to be the keynote presenter for a memorial service for Pope Shenouda. Naout is a Muslim. Yet [...]
Christianity Today on Pope Shenouda
Just a short post today to direct to the article I contributed to Christianity Today on why the death of Pope Shenouda is also mourned by Egypt’s Protestants. If you click on the link above today you will see it highlighted as the lead story. Afterwards, please click here for the permanent link. I hope [...]
Coptic Pope Dies in Egypt Amid Church’s Struggles
Via NY Times, by Karim Fahim Egypt’s Coptic Pope Shenouda III at an Easter service in Cairo last year, Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters CAIRO — Pope Shenouda III, who led the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt for four decades, expanding the church’s presence around the world as he struggled, often…
Friday Prayers for Egypt: Copts
God, Bless the Copts. Bless their churches. Bless their leaders. Bless their reformers. Bless those with whom they rub shoulders every day. Give wisdom to the Copts, God. Their leaders were slow to join the revolution; many of their youth rushed headlong. Now they face more challenges. Should they stay with the revolution and agitate [...]
The Blind Sheikh: Between the Crimes of America and the Neglect of Egypt
Seeking to keep the case of their father in front of the public eye, the family of the Blind Sheikh, Omar Abdel Rahman, organized another conference at the site of their open sit-in across from the American Embassy. The conference was conducted by the World Forum for Moderate Islam, under the title ‘Omar Abdel Rahman: [...]
A Salafi Candidate with Coptic Support: Interview
Sheikh Hamdi Abdel Fattah is a unique personality in Egypt. Little known outside of his home region of Maghagha in Upper Egypt, he is a candidate for parliament running under the banner of the Salafi Nour Party. In and of itself, there is nothing unusual here – the Nour Party has searched for and nominated [...]
Church, State, and Revolution in Egypt
Many Christians in America are keen on emphasizing that the ‘separation of church and state’ is found nowhere in the constitution. Rather, they state, it was from the personal letters of Thomas Jefferson – his guiding opinion, of course, but never adopted in America’s founding documents. This is true. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion [...]
Christmas with the Brotherhood
Following two years of bloody winter holidays, and following also resounding Islamic success in elections, the Muslim Brotherhood coordinated with security forces – and probably Orthodox Church leadership – to stand watch outside church buildings throughout Egypt. I was able to visit one installation in Helwan, to the south of Cairo. After moving from church [...]
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