Hi together,
this is my first post here in steemit and I will write some words about the coptic church. For me it something special to write about it because my parents come from egypt and still participate this relegion also when they live in germany since 40 years.
I´m sure many of you heard about the copts due the bad news concerning the attacks of the churches in egypt. I would like to give some more information about the copts in generell.
Who are the copts?
In generell the copts are understood as the christians of egypt who are approximately 10 percent of the 90 million people, the largest christian minority in the middle east. About 1 million more Coptic Christians are spread across Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to the World Council of Churches.
Copts are the historical Orthodox Church of Egypt
Coptic Christians base their theology on the teachings of the Apostle Mark, who introduced Christianity to Egypt, according to the St. Takla Church in Alexandria, the capital of Coptic Christianity.
The word "Copt" is a Westernized version of the Arabic "qibt," which is derived from the ancient Greek word for Egyptian, "Aigyptos."
The Coptic calendar is based on the ancient Egyptian calendar, and hence Christmas is observed on January 7 and Easter falls usually in late April or early May.
The head of the coptic church
The Coptic Church is led by the Pope of Alexandria, who is based in Cairo. The current Pope, Tawadros II, succeeded Pope Shenouda III and is 118th in succession to Mark.
The Pope is elected by a complicated process. I can remember when the egyption television broadcasted the election in the TV. It was very exciting and for me it was somehting like a penalty in a world cup final.
Candidates must be at least 40 years old and have been monks for at least 15 years. Following election, the names of the three candidates with most votes are written on pieces of paper and one of them is picked by a child.
Abdel Fattah el Sissi
The relationship between the Copts and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el Sisi is one of necessity.
When Abdel Fattah el Sisi seized power and became Egypt's president in 2013, roughly 8 million Coptic Christians thought they'd found a new champion in their struggle for equality in the majority Muslim country.
Sisi promised to tame radical Islam and crack down on jihadists. Pope Tawadros, the head of the Coptic Christian Church, and the rest of the church hierarchy were firmly in Sisi's corner. Tawadros even referred to Sisi as a "savior" and "hero."
But in the last time many copts in egypt are dissapointed. Copts are generally treated like second-class citizens in Egypt. New legislation makes if more difficult for them to build churches, and they complain that they face discrimination in the job market and that there are few Copts in the highest levels of government or academia.
Sisi's government hasn't done much to address any of these concerns, Copts say.
All of this has left many Coptic Christians with a deepening sense of disillusionment about Sisi, who has placed the Copts in a difficult position. He portrays himself as the Copts' champion, which only makes them more a target of the Islamists. But in the end, the only thing he's really prepared to lead is their funeral processions.
