Pope praises Shenouda III, shares pain over death

(March 19, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI has said the Catholic Church shares the grief of the Coptic Orthodox Church over the death of its patriarch, Pope Shenouda III. In a condolence message sent on Sunday, Pope Benedict expressed his “most sincere brotherly compassion” for the late head of the Coptic Church who passed away on Saturday at age 88. Pope Shenouda led Egypt's Christian minority for more than 40 years amid increasing tensions with Muslims. “I recall with gratitude his commitment to Christian Unity, his memorable visit to my predecessor Pope Paul VI and their signature May 10, 1973 in Rome of the Joint Declaration of Faith in the Incarnation of the Son of God, and his Cairo meeting with Pope John Paul II during the Great Jubilee of the Incarnation, 24 February 2000,” Pope Benedict wrote in his message.
Holy See’s spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi also echoed the Holy Father’s grief on behalf of the Catholic Church over the loss of Pope Shenouda. In a brief declaration, he said, “For all of us, the meeting of Pope John Paul II and Pope Shenouda in Cairo during his pilgrimage to Mount Sinai on the occasion of the Great Jubilee (2000) will remain an unforgettable moment of high-water mark in dialogue and encounter in the common faith in Christ.