The Egyptian Pope withdraws himself into a desert monastery
Pope Shenuda III. is religious the head of the koptischen Christians in Egypt. With its retreat Shenuda III. wants to protest against difficulties of the Christians in the Egyptian Islamic society.
The koptischen Christians are the native form of the Christianity in Egypt. They attribute their origin to the EH gelists Markus, which created the first Christian communities in the country around the year 60.
The koptisch orthodox community belongs to the eastern churches. Their head is the Patriarch of Alexandrien (north Egypt), which is called also „Pope by Alexandrien “. Shenuda III. is since 1971 in the office.
Into Egypt it came in the last weeks to tensions because of rumors that Christians had been forced to conversion to the Islam. In Cairo thereupon 34 koptische Christians with demonstrations arrests. To arguments it came also into Southern Egypt.
According to data of his secretary Pope Shenuda in the separationness will be, until an agreement with the government comes. It seems to be a matter thereby particularly of the release of the arrested Christians.
The Kopten constitutes approximately 10% of the Egyptian total population. The relationship between Muslims and Kopten is peaceful generally. The present conflict caught fire from the case of Mrs. Wafa Constantine, a priest wife.
Government officials had to become stated that Mrs. Constantine (48) would have expressed the intention, Islamic, but by their family from it were prevented.
Rumors began to circulate among the Christians that Mrs. Constantine had been kidnapped and forced to conversion. That led to furious protests before the cathedral of the holy Markus in Cairo. Even stones are to have flown.
The collisions and the protests before the cathedral calmed down, to be familiar became that Mrs. Constantine is again in safekeeping of the church.
The Egyptian prosecutor general announced last Thursday that Mrs. Constantine had gone to the police and the desire had expressed to convert to the Islam. After it met with church representatives, it returned however to its decision.
Likewise in December it came to religious arguments in the upper-Egyptian village Munqtin. The police had to separate Muslims and Christians, after in the village three shops of Christian owners had been devastated and Christian houses had been thrown with stones.
The most well-known under the Egyptian Kopten is probably Butros Butros Ghali (82), of 1992-1996 as a sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations officiated.
Read on:
No reader opinionsThe editorship does not take responsibility for contents of the contributions. She reserves herself the right to delete contributions as well as to exclude readers from the debate.
They followed the star
