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Pope Shenuda III dies
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Egypt's Coptic Pope Shenuda III, spiritual leader of the Middle East's largest Christian minority, died on Saturday at the age of 88, state media and cathedral sources said.He had suffered health problems for years and recently stopped receiving treatment for liver failure and tumours or swelling in his lungs because he was too feeble, the Coptic Church said. "The last days were the hardest in the Pope's life, as he was unable to walk," said a statement carried by the official MENA news agency. Shenuda was forced to cancel a weekly sermon last week over health concerns. There was no immediate official word on when the funeral will be held for Shenuda, who was named pope of Alexandria in 1971, but there were unconfirmed reports it will be held on Tuesday. There was also no word on when clergy and laity would convene to begin the process of choosing a successor. Shenuda led the Copts, estimated at 10 percent of Egypt's population of more than 80 million, for the best part of a generation, in which Egypt was hit by a wave of Islamic militancy from which he sought to protect his people. Shortly after the announcement of his death, thousands of Copts flocked to the Abassiya Cathedral in central Cairo to mourn their spiritual leader. Posted by: Fred 2012-03-18 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=341177 |