While Copts marked the arbaeen of Pope Shenouda III whom they had lost on 17 March 2012, it is fit to honour another of the Coptic Orthodox Church’s great
While Copts marked the arbaeen of Pope Shenouda III whom they had lost on 17 March 2012, it is fit to honour another of the Coptic Orthodox Church’s great patriarchs, Pope Boutros al-Gawli who died 160 years ago last month
No-one can dispute the fact that, throughout Egypt’s history AD, the Coptic Orthodox Church and its successive popes have played a vital role. Among those popes who left an indelible mark was Pope Boutros (Peter) VII, commonly known as Boutros al-Gawli, the 109th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark. He was pope from 1809 until his death on 15 April 1852, an eventful period in Egypt’s modern history.
Quiet hermit
Born in the village of al-Gawli in Assiut, Upper Egypt, the man who was to later become Pope Boutros VII grew up to take orders at St Antony’s Monastery by the Red Sea, and was given the name Mercurius. In 1808, he came to Cairo when he was ordained bishop-general with the name of Anba Theophilus, to be assistant to the 108th Coptic Orthodox pope, Pope Marcus.
Three days after Pope Marcus passed away, Anba Theophilus was chosen to be the next pope, and was named Pope Boutros VII in Kyahk AM1526 (January 1809), during the reign of Mohammed Ali Pasha, the founder of modern Egypt.
Known for his wisdom and kindness to all Egyptians, Pope Boutros was a quiet hermit beloved by all. He was interested in the dissemination of knowledge, which urged him to establish a library that included a vast collection of books in various fields.
Because of his remarkable wisdom, Pope Boutros VIII was consulted by most State officials to resolve any problems that arose concerning the Coptic community. In his time, Copts held high-ranking posts in the State authority.
The One who doesn’t die
Mohammed Ali Pasha, who came into power in 1805, ruled over an Egypt that had been pushed into centuries of backwardness by its Ottoman and Mameluk rulers—Egypt had been part of the Ottoman empire since 1517. Mohammed Ali was intent on taking the country into the modern age. To fulfill this goal, he focused on implementing modern systems for education, health care, irrigation and agricultural projects, as well as public utilities and services. Furthermore, he conducted several military campaigns and conquests in the region with the aim of turning Egypt into a regional power. But he was seen by the contemporary world powers as a threat, and his efforts were undermined through a treaty forced on Egypt in 1841.
Fearing Mohammed Ali’s regional influence would threaten Russian interests, the Czar Nicholas I apparently tried to counter the threat by gaining some foothold inside Egypt. He sent an envoy to Pope Boutros VII to offer the Coptic Church protection, considering that the Copts in Egypt were a minority under a Muslim majority. The envoy was amazed to find the pope a modest man in an old woollen garment. “I am following the example of my Lord Jesus Christ, who was born poor for the sake of sinful people,” was the answer the Pope gave to the surprised query he was met with.
Then they got down to business. “Will your Czar live forever?” Pope Boutros asked when he was offered the Czar’s protection. The envoy, stunned at the question answered that, naturally, the Czar was mortal. “Why should I give up protection by the Immortal and place my Church under a mortal?” The Pope said that the Church’s protector, its true shepherd, was the King of Kings who never dies.
Miracle man
Several miracles are attributed to Pope Boutros VII. When the annual inundation of the River Nile was scanty and there was drought in Egypt, Mohammed Ali Pasha asked Pope Boutros VII to pray for the sake of the Nile water to rise. The Pope, accompanied with a number of clergy, held Holy Mass on the bank of the river. At the end, he cast the water which was used to rinse the altar utensils into the river. Tradition has it that the Nile water rose, even up to the spot they had been praying in.
In the middle of the19th century, when Ibrahim Pasha, son of Mohammed Ali, occupied Jerusalem, his followers cast severe doubts over the veracity of the annual miracle of the light emerging from Christ’s tomb every Easter Saturday. They cautioned Ibrahim Pasha against the unrest that could spark off among the multitudes crowding in the church, awaiting the so-called miracle. Ibrahim Pasha then sent for Pope Botrous VII to pacify the crowds and, as a precaution, ordered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre shut for Easter Saturday. The crowds however could not be kept out, but gathered as was the tradition—only this time they could not enter the church, so they thronged in its courtyard. The Coptic and the Greek Orthodox popes prayed before the crowds, and at the usual time, to the unspeakable delight of the people, the holy fire emerged out of a pillar in the churchyard. To this day, the blackened pillar stands witness to the Easter Light.
WATANI International
6 May 2012