Wikipedia

Coptic Catholic Church

Not to be confused withCoptic Orthodox Church.

TheCoptic Catholic Church[a]is anEastern Catholicparticular Churchinfull communionwith theCatholic Church.Along with theEthiopian Catholic ChurchandEritrean Catholic Church,it belongs to theAlexandrian liturgical tradition.Uniquely among the Alexandrian RiteEastern Catholic liturgies,the Coptic Catholic Church uses theCoptic Riteand theCoptic language(derived fromAncient Egyptian) in its liturgy; theEthiopian Catholic ChurchandEritrean Catholic Churchuse theGe'ez Rite.[citation needed]


Coptic Catholic Church
Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt,Cairo,Egypt
ClassificationEastern Catholic
PolityEpiscopal
StructurePatriarchate
PopeFrancis
PatriarchIbrahim Isaac Sidrak
AssociationsCongregation for the Oriental Churches
RegionEgypt, with communities in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America
LanguageCoptic,Arabic
LiturgyCoptic Rite
HeadquartersCathedral of Our Lady of Egypt,Cairo,Egypt
Congregations166 (2016)
Members187,320 (2017)[1]
Ministers243[2]
Official websitecoptcatholic.net

The currentCoptic Catholic Patriarch of AlexandriaisIbrahim Isaac Sidrak,who replacedAntonios Naguibin 2013. The offices of thepatriarchateare located inCairo.The patriarchalCathedral of Our Lady of Egyptis inNasr City,a suburb of Cairo.[citation needed]

History

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Beginnings

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Since theCouncil of Chalcedonin the 5th century and the official separation of theCoptic Churchfrom theWestern ChristianandEastern Orthodoxchurches, theCatholic Churchhas attempted to achieve reunion with the Copts in Egypt many times. During theCouncil of Florencein 1442, the Coptic delegates present agreed to a reunion with the papacy in Rome,[4]but the Coptic populace was opposed to the idea, and the union did not take effect. Further failed attempts at reunion were undertaken by Coptic delegates in 1560 and 1582.[5]

In the 17th century, at the behest ofPope Urban VIII,Catholic missionaries (primarilyFranciscans) started to come to Egypt. In 1630, a number of missions of theCapuchin Orderwere founded in the Levant by Joseph of Paris, including in Cairo.[5]Although the mission in Cairo initially faced setbacks, tensions with the local Coptic priesthood were minimized with the arrival of Capuchin priest Agathangelo of Vendome to the city in 1633.

Initial relations between Catholics and Copts in Egypt were poor. One Coptic councilor in 1637 referred to the Roman Church in Egypt as "a brothel".[5][6]Attempts to excommunicate Catholic offenders in the city were seemingly fruitless.[5]Agathangelo would later be hanged as amartyrinEthiopiaby order of the Ethiopian king in 1638,[6]and the mission in Cairo would start to decline. TheJesuitscame in 1675.[7]

In 1741, the Coptic bishop, Anba Athanasius ofJerusalem,became a Catholic.[8]In 1781, he was appointed byPope Benedict XIVasvicar apostolicof the fewer than 2,000 Egyptian Coptic Catholics.[7]Eventually, Athanasius returned to the Coptic Orthodox Church and others served as Catholic vicar apostolic.[7]

Patriarchate

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Under the assumption that the Ottoman viceroy wanted a Catholic patriarch for the Coptic Catholics in 1824, the Pope established thePatriarchate of Alexandria[7]from theApostolic Vicariate of Syria, Egypt, Arabia and Cyprus[9]but it was basicallytitular.[7]The Ottomans in 1829 allowed the Coptic Catholics to build their own churches.[7]

The number of Catholics of this rite increased to the point thatLeo XIIIin 1895 restored the Catholic patriarchate.[8]He initially namedBishop Cyril Makariosas patriarchal vicar. Makarios then presided over a synod, which led to the introduction of some Latin practices. In 1899, Leo appointed Makarios as patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts, taking the name Cyril II. He resigned in 1908 at the request of the Pope over a controversy. The patriarchate seat remained vacant until an election in 1947[7]and was administered by an apostolic administrator.[9]

Hierarchy

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The Coptic Catholic Churchsui juriscomprises a singleecclesiastical province,coveringEgyptalone. The Patriarch is the solemetropolitan archbishop,retaining the ancient title Alexandria but his actual seat is in Egypt's modern capitalCairo.

Coptic Catholic Church has eight suffragan bishops, throughout Egypt, comprising the only Coptic Catholicecclesiastical province:Abu Qurqas,Alexandria(Patriarch's original home seat),Assiut,Giza,Ismailia,Luxor,MinyaandSohag.[citation needed]

A map of the jurisdictions of the Coptic Catholic Church

Religious orders

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The Coptic Catholic Church does not have Copticmonasteries.Instead the Church hasreligious congregationssuch as the three communities for women: theSisters of the Sacred Heart,theCoptic Sisters of Jesus and Mary(both based inEgypt) and the Egyptian Province of theLittle Sisters of Jesus.There is also a community of maleFranciscansandJesuits.[7]

Educational and health services

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Most candidates for thepriesthoodare trained atSt. Leo's Patriarchal Seminary[ar],in suburban Cairo. More than 100 Coptic Catholic parishes administer primary schools, and some have secondary schools as well. The church maintains a hospital, a number of medical dispensaries and clinics, and several orphanages.[10]

Ecumenism

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Relations between the Coptic Catholic Church and the larger Coptic Orthodox Church are generally very good.[11]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Arabic:الكنيسة القبطية الكاثوليكية;[3]Latin:Ecclesia Catholica Coptorum

References

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  1. ^"The Eastern Catholic Churches 2017"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2018-10-24.Retrieved2019-06-19.
  2. ^Roberson, Ronald G."The Eastern Catholic Churches 2010"(PDF).Eastern Catholic Churches Statistics.Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 September 2015.Retrieved28 December2011.
  3. ^"الكنيسة الكاثوليكية تحتفل بذكرى القديس فالنتينو الأسقف".dostor.org.Retrieved2021-02-14.
  4. ^Curtin, D. P. (January 2007).Laetentur Caeli: Bulls of Union with the Greeks, Armenians, Coptic, and Ethiopian Churches.ISBN9798869171504.
  5. ^abcdAtiya, Aziz S.;et al., eds. (1991). "Coptic Relations With Rome".Coptic Encyclopedia.Vol. 2. New York:Macmillan Publishing Company.pp. 609–611.ISBN0028970241.
  6. ^abButler, Alban;Burns, Paul (1998) [1756]. Herbert, Thruston; et al. (eds.).Butler's Lives of the Saints.Vol. 6 (new full ed.). Kent:Burns & Oates.pp. 50–52.ISBN0860122573.
  7. ^abcdefghRoberson, Ronald G."The Coptic Catholic Church".Eastern Catholic Churches.Catholic Near East Welfare Association.Retrieved27 January2012.
  8. ^abFortescue, Adrian(1909)."Eastern Churches".Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 5.
  9. ^ab"Patriarchal See of Alexandria".Catholic Dioceses in the World.GCatholic.org.Retrieved27 January2012.
  10. ^"Pontifical Mission - The Coptic Catholic Church".cnewa.org.Retrieved2017-01-20.
  11. ^Sprague, Sean."Upper Egypt's Copts: Coptic Christians strive to improve the lot of all Egyptians".Retrieved20 September2020.
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