After a full, virtuous life which was nevertheless plagued with illness, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III lost his battle with the disease which he had long fought with solid faith and good
After a full, virtuous life which was nevertheless plagued with illness, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III lost his battle with the disease which he had long fought with solid faith and good will. Despite fervent prayers by all who loved him that he should get well, the Pope finally obeyed the Divine call to Heaven; his soul soared away from his ailing body.
I had previously written that Pope Shenouda III was a milestone in the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church popes. Today I find myself lost for words to describe the Pope in any other way; Pope Shenouda III was definitely a “milestone”. The 117th pope of the Coptic Church he was not just the conventional head of the Church who sat on the seat of St Mark to care for his congregation. History will record that he elevated the post and the Church to a standing never attained before, and brought them in line with modern times. He was pope from November 1971 till March 2012.
Father Antonious al-Suryani, who later became Pope Shenouda III, took orders in 1954 and dedicated his efforts towards scholarship and research. He gained a reputation of extensive knowledge, which induced the then Pope Kyrillos VI to ordain him Bishop of Education. It thus comes as no surprise that the Church witnessed a great renaissance under him in the domains of theological and historical studies, as well as in the monastic movement which has preserved the Church and its heritage throughout the centuries. He left an indelible imprint on the revival and expansion of ancient monasteries, as well as the establishment of new ones.
Under Pope Shenouda III, the Church assumed its role as the spiritual umbrella that shelters the Copts. Apart from the regular prayers and rituals, it developed and expanded inside Egypt despite numerous legislative and procedural hardships. Yet the Pope##s greatest achievement is how, during his time, the Church reached out to her children in the Diaspora, the thousands upon thousands of Copts who had left home to seek a better future for themselves and their children in foreign lands. Besides its spiritual function, the Church played the patriotic role of connecting them to their homeland and helping to preserve their Egyptian identity. Today’s successful Coptic communities and organistions in the Diaspora, including the fine young people of second or third generation immigrants, are the tangible products of the dedicated efforts made by Pope Shenouda and the Church.
Yet all of Pope Shenouda III’s achievements appear to be dwarfed by his great national role in intertwining the Coptic Church with the Egyptian motherland. He was pivotal in containing the grievances which arose out of the hardships to which the Copts were subjected during the last four decades. These included the attacks that targeted Coptic lives, homes, churches or property; and which commonly went under the term “sectarian disputes”, as well as the persistent discrimination and marginalisation they faced. Throughout all the suffering, Pope Shenouda was always a source of bottomless wisdom and tranquillity; he relied on the age-old compassion between Egypt’s Muslims and Christians to contain the raging emotions. He always kept bridges of dialogue open with all the State officials to ensure that matters do not get out of control.
Pope Shenouda played a significant national role by insisting that the Church and the Copts do not separate from the national consensus. The Church##s stance vis-à-vis the Palestinian cause, and banning the Copts## pilgrimage to the Holy Land provided the Palestinian problem is adequately resolved, are among the Pope##s fabled stances. Pope Shenouda said that he would only visit the Holy lands hand in hand with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar.
Pope Shenouda III was truly a milestone in the history of the Coptic Church. He was a role model whose life and attitudes drafted unprecedented, indelible features for the papacy.
WATANI International
25 March 2012