Egypt's Pope urges Copts to not to be afraid

January 07, 2013 - Egypt's Pope has urged his faithful not to be afraid in his Mass to mark Coptic Christmas, trying to reassure a community feeling anxious about the rise of Islamists to power there. Pope Tawadros II led his first Christmas Midnight Mass this year, Sunday night, in Cairo's main cathedral in Abbasiya. Egypt's Coptic Christians follow the Eastern Calendar, which puts Christmas on the 7th of January. Pope Tawadros was elected in November to succeed longtime Pope Shenouda III, who died in March after 40 years as leader of the ancient church. Coptic Christians, who represent about 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million people, are celebrating their first Christmas on Monday under an Islamist president. Christians have long complained of discrimination by the state and are feeling even more uneasy after the passage of a new constitution that opens the door for adoption of more strict Islamic law in Egypt. “We pray that God protects President Mohamed Morsi and all the officials and give them the wisdom to run the country. We pray that peace prevails in all places where there is conflict. We pray for peace for this beloved country,” Pope Tawadros II said in his homily. Earlier on Sunday, President Morsi wished Tawadros and Egypt's Copts a happy new year in a phone call.