[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 48 (Thursday, March 22, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE LIFE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE SHENOUDA III

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 22, 2012

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this month, the world laid to rest a holy 
and wise spiritual leader, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, the 117th 
Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy 
Apostolic Seat of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox 
Church of Alexandria and head of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox 
Patriarchate of Alexandria, who passed from this life on March 17, 
2012.
  His Holiness Pope Shenouda III presided more than 40 years over a 
worldwide expansion of the Coptic Orthodox Church. During his papacy, 
he appointed the first-ever bishops to preside over North American 
dioceses. When His Holiness became pope in 1971, there were only four 
churches in North America. Today there are over 100.
  Pope Shenouda III was well known for his deep commitment to ecumenism 
and interfaith dialogue. He believed that Christian unity was a matter 
of faith rather than of jurisdiction. In 1973, Pope Shenouda III became 
the first Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria to meet the Roman Catholic 
Pope in over 1500 years. In this visit, Pope Shenouda III and Pope Paul 
VI signed a common declaration on the issue of Christology and agreed 
to further discussions on Christian unity. He led dialogues with 
various Protestant churches as well as Islamic clerics and Muslim 
leaders worldwide.
  In an address he gave at an ecumenical forum during the International 
Week of Prayer in 1974, he declared, ``The whole Christian world is 
anxious to see the church unite. Christian people, being fed up with 
divisions, are pushing their church leaders to do something about 
church unity and I am sure that the Holy Spirit is inspiring us.''
  A biographer aptly described Pope Shenouda III as ``A distinguished 
and prominent religious leader, a profound theologian, a gifted 
preacher, a talented author, a spiritual father, a man of God his 
entire life. He devoted his writings, teachings and actions to spread 
and propagate for the rules of understanding, peace, dialogue and 
forgiveness.''
  I had the unforgettable honor of meeting Pope Shenouda III as our 
local Coptic Christian Church in Northern Ohio was being constructed. 
He was a man of immense faith, great humanity, and deep intellect. When 
I asked him about future unity among various faith confessions, I will 
never forget his steady, strong countenance as he advised me ``that 
would take love.'' He was a very profound man.
  President Obama called Pope Shenouda III ``a beloved leader of 
Egypt's Coptic Christians and an advocate for tolerance and religious 
dialogue,'' and said he will be remembered ``as a man of deep faith, a 
leader of a great faith, and an advocate for unity and 
reconciliation.'' The faith community around the world and people of 
good will everywhere joins the Coptic Orthodox Church in mourning the 
passing of Pope Shenouda III from this life. We extend our sympathy to 
church members worldwide and in our own community. His contributions to 
world understanding and bridging horizons yet unmet will flower in 
decades hence. May God bless his soul and allow his unfinished work to 
progress in his memory.

                [From The New York Times, Mar. 20, 2012]

                  Thousands Mourn Coptic Pope in Cairo

                           (By Kareem Fahim)

       Cairo--In front of a tearful crowd of thousands including 
     members of Egypt's emerging political class, a funeral 
     service was held on Tuesday for Pope Shenouda III, the 
     popular and charismatic leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, 
     who died on Saturday.
       The pope's body lay in an open white casket through the 
     emotional two-hour ceremony in St. Mark's Cathedral, where he 
     was remembered as a ``wise captain'' who built bridges to 
     Muslims and other Christian denominations and who 
     strengthened the identity of the church, especially among its 
     younger members. Hundreds more people stood outside the 
     cathedral, unable to gain entry to the invitation-only 
     service.
       The scene turned to pandemonium later in the day when 
     thousands of people mobbed a van carrying the pope's body to 
     his burial site, in a monastery in northern Egypt. Red-faced 
     military policemen wrestled with mourners carrying the pope's 
     portrait who were straining for a last glimpse of him through 
     the dark windows of the white van.
       The flood of grief for the only pope many Egyptian Copts 
     had ever known--he was enthroned in 1971--underscored 
     feelings of unease that many Christians have felt in the 
     ongoing tumult of Egypt's political transition. Roughly 1 in 
     10 Egyptians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, which was 
     founded in the first century and was the majority religion 
     here before the coming of Islam. In recent years, long-held 
     complaints about anti-Coptic discrimination have been 
     replaced by deeper fears that Islamist parties will further 
     marginalize the Christian population as they try to refashion 
     Egypt into a more observant Muslim state.
       For most of his four decades as patriarch, Pope Shenouda 
     managed a delicate balancing act, strongly supporting 
     President Hosni Mubarak in exchange for a measure of 
     protection as the pope strengthened the church's power and 
     reach. He was broadly popular among Egyptians, and was 
     especially well-known for his wit. He was also seen as rigid 
     defender of a conservative church, and some Copts faulted him 
     for resisting reform.
       Criticism of Pope Shenouda's relationship with Mr. Mubarak 
     became more pronounced after the popular uprising against Mr. 
     Mubarak's rule took hold in January 2011, with attacks on 
     churches and Coptic protesters, by hardline Islamists and the 
     government's troops following behind. Since the pope's death, 
     though, that criticism has been laced with sadness.
       ``I don't disagree that he interfered with politics,'' said 
     Mina Samy, a 30-year old physician outside St. Mark's on 
     Tuesday. ``But when he spoke, he did it for Egypt's best 
     interest, not for his personal interests, like others do.
       ``I'm hoping for another copy of him,'' he said. ``Nothing 
     is too much for God. He was a great scholar, and he led the 
     church through major crisis. He left us at a time when Egypt 
     needed him.''

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