EGYPT: Pope Shenouda III leads Christians in a Orthodox Mass for Christmas -- the first since the uprising that ousted President Mubarak from power

Record ID: 861010

  • Title: EGYPT: Pope Shenouda III leads Christians in a Orthodox Mass for Christmas -- the first since the uprising that ousted President Mubarak from power
  • Date: 7th January 2012
  • Summary: CHRISTIAN PEOPLE BEING SEARCHED BEFORE ENTERING THE CHURCH
  • Embargoed: 22nd January 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt, Egypt
  • City:
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA5VBWSRU9Y2F48UJTZZQ0KZ436
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  • Story Text: Shenouda III, the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and of all Africa, led a large Christmas Mass on Friday (January 6), with some Muslims attending in solidarity.
    Masses of Christian people streamed into the Coptic Church to celebrate Christmas day alongside many of the public figures from various fields, army generals and celebrities.
    "I would like to say to the Egyptian Christians, all the Egyptian people and everyone who exists on the Egyptian ground that Egypt is fine and together we will enjoy our life in this good country," the famous actor Adel Imam said.
    Security measures and surveillance have been heightened around the main Coptic Patriarchate which is located in the El-Abbassia neighbourhood.
    Some preventive measures were also taken by police in surrounding streets.
    Egypt's Christians are celebrating their first Christmas Mass after the public uprising that ousted President Mubarak from power last February.
    "I think this is the first event we are celebrating after a wonderful revolution; so everybody has hope for the future and the future lies in our unity not in our disunity," said Mona Makram Obied, the member of the Consultative Council to the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
    "We want to forget the confessional and communal violence and we want to look to the future and I know that we will be able if we are together to build a new civil democratic and modern state in Egypt," Obied added.
    Egyptians, Muslims and Christians, cast their ballots on Wednesday (January 4) in the second day of the final round of the multistage parliamentary elections for the 498-seat assembly.
    Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 81 million people.
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