Tens of thousands of mourners bearing sprigs of fern and lilies surrounded a cathedral in Cairo yesterday to bid farewell to Pope Shenouda III who led the Coptic Church for 40 years before passing away on Saturday night.
Ambassadors and clerical leaders from around the world gathered inside as hymns and incense filled the air where he was lain restedin an open casket.
“Pope Shenouda was our father, our love,” said Kirolos Aziz, 23, who stood outside the gates of the cathedral wearing a picture of the late orthodox Pope around his neck.
“Everyone in the world came and paid their respects,” said Mina Assem Habib, 18, who slept overnight in a nearby park for a chance to try to see his body yesterday morning. Yesterday was declared an official day of mourning across Egypt.
Pope Shenouda, 88, was dressed in the golden robes and regalia of the Coptic church, one of the world’s oldest Christian denominations. It is estimated that around 10 per cent of the 80 million Egyptian population belong to the Coptic Church.
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For three days his body was put on display seated upright at the front of the cathedral. Hours after his body was removed yesterday en route to the desert monastery where he will be buried, hundreds of mourners still queued to touch the chair where his body had been placed.
“It’s such a sad feeling to see someone full of life who is now silent. His eyes were closed and I kept hoping he would open them and say something,” Marco Abdullah, the leader of the Saint George Scouts who stood guard at the cathedral overnight.
Pope Shenouda, appointed in 1971, was renowned for his warmth and calm in the midst of crisis. He is credited with keeping the peace between Muslims and Christians as Egypt grew more conservative over the past decade.
But his critics saw him as being too close to the Government, refusing to speak up for the Coptic community in the face of sectarian attacks, discrimination and harassment. Egypt was hit by a wave of Islamist militancy from which he sought to protect his people. Copts have been particularly concerned about the political fallout from the Arab Spring that ousted President Mubarak in February last year.
Islamist parties, including ultra-conservative Salafists who believe Christians should not rule the country, won almost three-quarters of the seats in the first parliamentary elections since Mr Mubarak left office.
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Leading Islamist politicians and prominent figures from the military council attended his funeral.
“We lost a very important person,” said Milad Fawzy, a clerical student who praised Pope Shenouda’s church reforms and his political manoeuvring on behalf of the country’s Christian minority. “He left a big vacuum.”