Egypt’s Coptic Pope will not celebrate Epiphany Mass in public

(January 19, 2011) In Egypt, the head of the Coptic Christians, Pope Shenouda III, did not preside over Wednesday’s celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany in Alexandria. The decision, revealed by the Cairo newspaper “Al Ahram”, was taken by the head of the Coptic Church out of respect for the people in Alexandria, who are still in mourning for the victims of the attack on the Church of Saints on the night of January 1, when a car bomb exploded outside the church. It is the first time that the patriarch did not celebrate the Mass of the Epiphany in Alexandria. Instead, he presided over a private Mass, not open to the public.
Shenouda III, who is 87, returned to Egypt on Monday from a trip to the United States for a medical check on his kidneys and heart. His first public appearance took place during his weekly Wednesday sermon. Although it is the first time that he has not been present at the celebration of the Epiphany in Alexandria, the patriarch in the past, has threatened not to preside at important religious celebrations in protest against the secular authorities for social discrimination and laws affecting the Copts. There are currently talks between the Coptic Church and the State to change laws governing permits for the construction of Christian buildings in Egypt, which is currently very restrictive.