Coptic Catholic Church
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The Coptic Catholic Church is an Alexandrian Rite sui juris particular Church in full communion with the Pope. The church numbers about 243,000. Historically, Coptic Catholics represent a schism from the Coptic Orthodox Church, leaving that church in order to come into full communion with Rome. The current Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria is Archbishop Antonios Naguib, who replaced Stephanos II in 2005.
Demographics
The offices of the Patriarchate are located in Cairo, but the largest concentration of Coptic Catholics has always been in upper Egypt. In recent times there has been some migration to other parts of the country.
In 1990 Coptic Catholic sources estimated that there were about 10,000 adherents in countries other than Egypt, under the care of local Latin Rite bishops. There are seven Coptic Catholic parishes located in Paris, Montréal, Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, Sydney, and Melbourne.
Educational and health services
Most candidates for the priesthood are trained at St. Leo’s Patriarchal Seminary, 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.
Coptic Catholics have several religious orders, modeled on western monastic communities, involved in educational, medical, and charitable activities.
History
In 1741 a Coptic bishop in Jerusalem, Amba Athanasius, became a Catholic. Pope Benedict XIV appointed him Vicar Apostolic of the small community (approximately 2,000 people) that converted with him. Although Athanasius eventually returned to the Coptic Orthodox Church, a line of Catholic Vicars Apostolic continued after him.
In 1824 the Holy See created a Patriarchate for Coptic Catholics, but it existed only on paper. The Ottoman authorities permitted the Coptic Catholics to begin building their own churches in 1829.
In 1895 Leo XIII re-established the Patriarchate and in 1899 he appointed Bishop Cyril Makarios as Patriarch Cyril II “of Alexandria of the Copts.” As Patriarchal Vicar, Bishop Cyril had presided over a Catholic Coptic synod in 1898 which introduced a number of Latin practices. Cyril resigned in 1908, and the office remained vacant until 1947, when a new Patriarch was finally elected.
Internal Links
External links
- Coptic Catholic Church
- http://www.coptcatholic.com (Arabic)
- Article on "Life in a Coptic Catholic Village"
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