Coptic Christians do not recognize the Roman Catholic Pope based in Rome as having religious or spiritual authority over them. In fact,Coptic Christians have their own separate pope and church,and have been apart from the Catholic Church for well over a millennium. Here we will explain Coptic Christianity by looking at its history,information on its pope,and information on its community.

Who is the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church?

Like the Bishop of Rome, the Coptic Orthodox patriarch has been called pappas (“Father”) for generations, and today the Orthodox Patriarch carries the title of Pope. Pope Tawadros II succeeded to the office in 2012 after the death of Pope Shenouda III.

What is the difference between the Coptic Orthodox and Catholic Church?

Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church is headquartered in Cairo at St. Mark’s Cathedral (next door to the chapel where the bombing occurred), although the symbolic center of Coptic Christian life remains Alexandria. The Coptic Catholic Church is headed by a Patriarch (bishop) who pledges obedience to Pope Francis.

What is the origin of the Coptic Church?

Coptic Christians trace the founding of their church to a missionary journey by the evangelist St. Mark in the year 42. According to tradition, Mark spent his last days in Alexandria, then the capital of Greek-influenced Egypt and a center of knowledge and culture in the Mediterranean world.

What happened to the Coptic Christians in Egypt?

Gradually, Egypt became a Muslim-majority country, and today Coptic Christians represent only 10%-20% of the population. Since the rise of Islamic militarism, however, Copts (both Orthodox and Catholic), like other Middle Eastern Christians, have come under violent attack from terrorist groups.

How are Coptic Christians led?

Coptic Christians are led their by their own pope, 118 of them since Mark the Apostle. Election of the Coptic Pope is a very unique process. Potential Coptic Popes must be 40 years old and have been monks for 15 years. The three candidates who get the most votes have their names put on pieces of paper and a child picks from these to pick the Coptic Pope. The current Coptic Pope is Tawadros II, who took office just last year in 2012.

Where did Christianity spread?

Outside the immediate area where Jesus of Nazareth lived and preached, Egypt was one of the first areas where Christianity spread. Coptics believe that Jesus’s own Apostle Mark came to Egypt around 50 CE, and count him as their first Pope of Alexandria. and a large Christian community was established there.

Do Coptic Christians recognize the Pope?

Coptic Christians do not recognize the Roman Catholic Pope based in Rome as having religious or spiritual authority over them. In fact, Coptic Christians have their own separate pope and church, and have been apart from the Catholic Church for well over a millennium. Here we will explain Coptic Christianity by looking at its history, information on its pope, and information on its community.

What is the oldest religion in the Middle East?

The Coptic Christians are the oldest religion in the Middle East dating back to 42 CE. Moreover, the Copts are the most significant Christian community in Sudan containing approximately 1% of the Sudanese population. The term Copt was approved in English at the beginning of the seventeenth century.

Why were Copts subjected to harsh rules?

Copts of Modern Egypt. Arabs conquered the Egyptians, and this made the Coptic Christians in Egypt to be subjected to harsh rules because Arabs practiced Islam.

How many Christians are there in Sudan?

Sudan has a minority number of Coptic Christians adding up to about 500,000. The population is approximately 1% of the Sudanese population. The Copts are also widely spread across Libya with the Coptic Orthodox church being the largest with a population of approximately 60,000 believers.

How many commentaries did Saint Mark write?

Saint Mark wrote over six thousand commentaries of the Bible. The Copts also contributed significantly to the creation and organization of monasticism. Monasticism is a spiritual approach to life in which one renounces worldly pursuits and commits himself or herself entirely to the Christian worship.

What was the name of the church that divided into two groups?

It led to the division of the Alexandrian church in 451 CE into two subdivisions; those who abided by the rules of the council became recognized as the Chalcedonians while those that did not abide by the rules were known as Monophysites.

What is the Council of Chalcedon?

Council of Chalcedon. According to the Catholic Church, the council of Chalcedon is the fourth ecumenical council. The council described Chalcedon stating that the son of God is perfect both in a deity and in humanness.

What is an ecumenical council?

An ecumenical council is a collection of religious persons such as bishops, pastors, and the entire church that gather together to discuss important matters of faith. Egyptian patriarchs were the first to lead the first three ecumenical councils, proving that Alexandria contributed majorly to the establishment of philosophy and theology in Egypt. The primary mandate of patriarchs was to calculate and announce the exact dates of Easter annually.

How many Coptic Christians were killed on a bus in Egypt?

A gun attack that killed at least 26 Coptic Christians on a bus in Egypt is just the latest assault on the religious minority group, which has been a target for deadly violence throughout its history.

How many Christians are there in Egypt?

The largest Christian community in the Middle East, Coptic Christians make up the majority of Egypt’s roughly 9 million Christians. About 1 million more Coptic Christians are spread across Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to the World Council of Churches. Coptic Christians base their theology on the teachings …

What is the tattoo rite of passage?

video. Tattoos as a rite of passage for Coptic Christians. Coptic Christians base their theology on the teachings of the Apostle Mark, who introduced Christianity to Egypt, according to the St. Takla Church in Alexandria, the capital of Coptic Christianity. The Coptic language descends from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, …

Where is the blood stains in the Cathedral of Abbassia?

Blood stains the wall in the courtyard at St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of Abbassia on December 11, 2016, in Cairo. Coptic Christians have been targeted for violence throughout history, notably under the Byzantine Empire and periodically after the Arab conquest in the 7th century.

How many people were injured in the Minya massacre?

Ten masked gunman in fatigues opened fire from three vehicles at the passengers as they traveled Friday to a monastery near the city of Minya, the Interior Ministry said. Twenty-five others have been injured, and children are among the victims.

Where are the Copts being targeted?

Copts have been targeted outside Egypt as well: In early 2015, a highly produced ISIS propaganda video purported to show the beheadings of over a dozen Egyptian Copts on a beach in Libya.

Where was the bomb explosion in Alexandria?

Rescue workers push a stretcher with a victims of a bomb explosion outside the Saint Mark’s coptic Cathedral in Alexandria, Egypt on April 9. Egyptians mourn, but do they understand? Recent political upheaval in Egypt has brought more violence to the Coptic community.

What did the Copts teach in Alexandria?

Besides catechetical studies, the school taught humanities and mathematics. Its library contained carved wood texts with raised letters so the blind could study – long before the invention of Braille. The desert fathers of Egypt began the heremitic and monastic traditions that would later inspire St. Basil of Cappadocia in the East and St. Benedict in the West.

How many people read Aleteia?

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How was Bishop Tawadros chosen?

Bishop Tawadros was selected by having his name chosen by a blind child from among ballots containing the names of three candidates. Pope Francis considers Pope Tawadros II his brother in Christ, and called him directly to offer sympathy and prayers after Sunday’s bombing. 4.

Where is the Coptic Orthodox Church?

Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church is headquartered in Cairo at St. Mark’s Cathedral (next door to the chapel where the bombing occurred), although the symbolic center of Coptic Christian life remains Alexandria. The Coptic Catholic Church is headed by a Patriarch (bishop) who pledges obedience to Pope Francis.

When was the bombing of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo?

With the news of the terrible bombing during Divine Liturgy in a Coptic Orthodox church in Cairo, December 11, 2016, attention is being drawn again to the sufferings of Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East. Who are these Coptic Christians? What do we share with them?

Is the Coptic Orthodox Church an autocephalic church?

The Coptic Orthodox Church is autocephalic (its own independent church). It has followers among Egyptian immigrants to other countries in Africa and around the world, including the US, and “daughter churches” in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and is in communion with the Oriental Orthodox churches.

Did the Coptic Orthodox believe in Christology?

Many were tortured, imprisoned, and killed, but the Coptic Orthodox remained faithful to their understanding of Christology. With the rise of Islam and the Umayyad conquest of Egypt, most of the population retained their Coptic Christianity at first.

How many people are Coptic Orthodox?

Around 10% of the Egyptian population are Coptic Orthodox which makes up 11 million out of the 95 million person population that reside in Egypt. Of Egypt’s 95 million residents around 11 million people, or 10%, identify as Coptic Orthodox. The majority of Copts in Egypt attend the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, while a population of approximately 800,000 attend several Coptic Catholic and Coptic Protestant churches throughout Egypt. Outside of Egypt, however, there are far fewer members of the Coptic Orthodox Church. In North America, for example, there are around 300,000 Coptic Christians across the entire continent.

What is the Coptic language?

The Coptic language is one of the most essential tools in learning about the Pharaonic history and biblical studies. The theological school in Alexandria in the 2nd century established the Coptic alphabet to formalize the vernacular of Egypt. In fact, the language and alphabet are related to late Egyptian written using hieroglyphics. The Coptic community has a deep and profound history on Egypt. To learn more about the Copts and other resources, check out Arab America’s blog here!

Where did the word "copt" come from?

The word ‘Copt’ originates from the Ancient Greek Α?γυπτο? (aigyptos), the Greek word for the Egyptian people. The word changed to ‘Copt’ once the Arabs invaded Egypt and could not pronounce the word ‘aigyptos’. Essentially, they changed the world to ‘copt’. Originally, Copts are considered people that have descended from ancient Egypt. However, more recently the word ‘Copt’ specifically refers the Coptic Christian community in Egypt, but can also loosely refer to all Egyptian Christians.

Which country has the largest Coptic population?

The Arab world, although predominantly made up of Muslims, is home to a sizeable population of Coptic Christians. The Arab country with the largest Coptic Christian population is Egypt. Egypt’s Copts, one of the largest Arab Christian populations in the world, make up around 10% of Egyptian’s total population. The Coptic Christian community, despite its members representing only a minority within the wider Arab world, has a deep, robust cultural history and sense of community because of its shared theological teachings, experience as a target of persecution, and strong ties to monasticism. Here are 10 facts you may not know about the Coptic Christian community.

Who was the first bishop of Alexandria?

Furthermore, a number of components of Coptic liturgy can also be traced directly back to St. Mark who had established them as the first bishop of the Alexandria.

What is the Coptic Catholic Church?

Coptic Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic church of the Alexandrian rite in Egy pt, in communion with Rome since 1741, when Athanasius, a Miaphysite (acknowledging only one nature in the person of Christ) Coptic bishop, became a Roman Catholic. Two succeeding bishops remained unconsecrated because they were unable to travel to Europe …

What is the Alexandrian rite?

Alexandrian rite. The liturgy of the modern Coptic Catholic church developed from the Byzantine liturgy attributed to St. John Chrysostom, as modified by Syrian and other influences. The service book is written in Coptic, with the Arabic running in parallel columns, though readings from the Apostles and the Gospels are in Arabic.…. St. Athanasius.

Who divided the Copts into three dioceses?

In 1895 Pope Leo XIII divided the 5,000 Catholic Copts into three dioceses directed by an administrator, who, four years later, was appointed patriarch of Alexandria, with residence in Cairo. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Zeidan, Assistant Editor.