[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 45 (Monday, March 19, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E377]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF POPE SHENOUDA III

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                          HON. GARY C. PETERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 19, 2012

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the passing and 
celebrate the life of Coptic Christian Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria. 
For more than forty years, Pope Shenouda was the leader of the Coptic 
Orthodox Church--a denomination with more than ten million followers in 
Egypt and throughout the world.
  As its religious leader, he ensured that the Egyptian Coptic 
community was, and is, an integral pillar of Egyptian society. We will 
miss him, especially during this time of political transition in Eqypt, 
as his voice reminded us of that country's long history of peace and 
religious tolerance.
  I join the members of Michigan's Coptic Community and the St. Mark 
Coptic Orthodox Church in my district to mourn the passing of Pope 
Shenouda. As President Barack Obama eloquently stated ``we will 
remember Pope Shenouda III as a man of deep faith, a leader of a great 
faith, and an advocate for unity and reconciliation.''

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