Pope of Egypt's Coptic Christian Church dies

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Pope Shenouda III, the patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church who led Egypt's Christian minority for 40 years during a time of increasing tensions with Muslims, died Saturday. He was 88.

His death comes as the country's estimated 10 million Christians are feeling more vulnerable than ever amid the rise of Islamic movements to political power after the toppling a year ago of President Hosni Mubarak. The months since have seen a string of attacks on the community, heightened anti-Christian rhetoric by ultraconservatives known as Salafis and fears that coming goverments will try to impose strict versions of Islamic law.

Tens of thousands of Christians packed into the main Coptic cathedral in Cairo on Saturday evening hoping to see his body. Women in black wept and screamed. Some, unable to get into the overcrowded building, massed outside, raising their hands in prayer.

"He left us in a very hard time. Look at the country and what's happening now," said Mahrous Munis, a Christian IT worker in his 30s who was among the crowds. "Copts are in a worse situation than before. God be with us."

Munis' friend, Sherif Sabry, interrupted. "He was our rock. God help us find someone who can fill his place."

An archbishop later announced to the crowd that the funeral would be held in three days, and in the meantime Shenouda's body would be put on display in the cathedral, sitting in the Mar Morqos — or St. Mark — throne from which the pope in his elaborate regalia traditionally oversaw services.

Shenouda died in his residence at the cathedral, and the state news agency MENA said he had been battling liver and lung problems for several years. Yasser Ghobrial, a physician who treated Shenouda at a Cairo hospital in 2007, said he suffered from prostate cancer that spread to his colon and lungs.

U.S. President Barack Obama paid tribute to Shenouda as "an advocate for tolerance and religious dialogue."

"We will remember Pope Shenouda III as a man of deep faith, a leader of a great faith, and an advocate for unity and reconciliation," Obama said in a statement issued by the White House. "His commitment to Egypt's national unity is also a testament to what can be accomplished when people of all religions and creeds work together."

"Baba Shenouda," as he was known to his followers, headed one of the most ancient churches in the world. The Coptic Church traces its founding to St. Mark, who is said to have brought Christianity to Egypt in the 1st Century.

For Egypt's Christians, he was a charismatic leader, known for his sense of humor — his smiling portrait was hung in many Coptic homes and shops — and a deeply conservative religious thinker who resisted calls by liberals for reform.

Above all, many Copts saw him as the guardian of their community living amid a Muslim majority in this country of more than 80 million people. Christians have long complained of being treated as second-class citizens, saying they face discrimination and that police generally fail to prosecute those behind anti-Christian attacks.

Shenouda's method was to work behind the scenes. He sought to contain Christians' anger and gave strong support to Mubarak's government, while avoiding pressing Coptic demands too vocally in public to prevent a backlash from Muslim conservatives. In return, Mubarak's regime allowed the Church wide powers among the Christian community.

In the past year, young and liberal Christians grew increasingly overt in their criticism of his approach, saying it brought little success in stemming violence or discrimination. Moreover, they argued, the Church's domination over Christians' lives further ghettoized them, making them a sect first, Egyptian citizens second.

"This was the mistake of Baba Shenouda and his predecessor. The state wanted to deal with Christians through one person," said prominent Christian columnist, Karima Kamal.

"We want the state to deal with Christians as citizens and for the Church to step aside," she said. "Christians are increasingly dealt with just as a sect."

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Gunmen hit Egypt presidential candidate

On Thursday, three men with rifles attacked Abdelmoneim Abul Fotouh in Cairo’s Ring Road. His campaign manager, Ali al-Bahnasawy, told reports that Fotouh was injured as he attempted to defend his driver.

The armed men allegedly hit Fotouh’s head with the rifles butt. The driver was also injured in the assault.

Fotouh is a former senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He is considered to be one of the most popular candidates running for the Egyptian presidential election.

The North African country is expected to hold the election by the end of June.

Since the ouster of former dictator Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, who is currently on trial for ordering a deadly crackdown on demonstrators, Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has been ruling Egypt despite repeated calls by disgruntled people demanding a civilian rule.

On January 25, 2012, Egyptians marked the first anniversary of their country's popular revolution.

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The woman who wants to be Egypt's first female president

During a protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square amonth after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, Bothaina Kamel spotted a slogan supporting womens' right to be president of Egypt. She said: "At that moment, I thought we shouldn't just be saying that, we should be putting it into practice." A month later, Kamel announced she was to become Egypt's first female presidential candidate for elections expected to be held early next year. Kamel, 49, is not new to the spotlight in Egypt. 

She is a television presenter and political campaigner who once resigned from her job as a newsreader on state television because she did not believe the news she was reading. At first people were shocked, and after that they took me lightly, but now they are taking me more seriously Bothania Kamel She is an outsider to heavyweight candidates such as Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Amr Moussa, former secretary general of the Arab League, but Kamel believes her campaign is gaining momentum. Although no date has yet been set for the election, Kamel, is already touring the country in an attempt to reach the people she says have been forgotten by the political elite of Cairo.

 She admits she does not have a budget like the mainstream candidates, or the entourage of bodyguards, but claims to have an army of passionate supporters meeting her wherever she goes. "From the day I announced my candidacy we have achieved a lot," she said. "We have moved through the villages and brought the revolution to all of Egypt, not just the big cities." Describing herself as a social democrat, Kamel has made it her mission to listen to grievances of minorities. She said: "I promise by the election I will be the most informed of the candidates about the Egyptian people. I know the demands of the Bedouin, the people of Upper Egypt, the Coptic Christians, the workers and different groups from all parts of the country.

Kamel believes the hard graft is paying off and winning her acceptance as a woman candidate. She said: "At first people were shocked, and after that they took me lightly, but now they are taking me more seriously. "They told me the Egyptian people can't accept a woman president but now they accept me. "The stereotype of Egyptians is that they won't vote for a woman, but people will vote for someone who can help them. If I'm ready to help people, they will vote for me. People are very practical." They told me the Egyptian people can't accept a woman president but now they accept me Bothania Kamel Kamel's career in radio and television began soon after she graduated from Cairo University, where she was active in student politics. For six years, she hosted a late-night radio show called "Night Confessions" before it was abruptly suspended in 1998.

In 2005, Kamel and two other women founded a movement called "Shayfeen," or "We Are Watching You" to observe Egypt's first multi-party elections, and made a documentary about their efforts. She is now putting together a documentary of the same name about her experiences on the campaign trail, and is accompanied by a cameraman wherever she goes. The slogan for Kamel's campaign -- Egypt is My Agenda -- stems from her experience during the 18 days of Egypt's revolution in January and February this year. "When we were in Tahrir Square, the official media said we were part of a foreign agenda, so I chose the slogan 'Egypt Is My Agenda.'" That revolution is still a work in progress, according to Kamel, who is vocal in her criticism of interim government, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Politics under the Mubarak regime was thugs and black deals, so I want to work to build new values for Egypt Bothania Kamel She said: "I know that we have just started a revolution, we haven't made a revolution yet.

There's a lot more to do. "It's still possible that we will see the blood coming, like in Libya and Syria because the army council wants to stay and try to kill the revolution, and one of the dirty schemes is to put the Egyptian people in a helpless state economically. "Now the Egyptians can't feel good from the revolution." Such strong words don't make her popular with everyone, but her calls for a complete change in politics resonate with many. Walid Kazziha, professor of politics at the American University of Cairo, said she is well-known among young people, a familiar face in Tahrir Square during the revolution and famously outspoken, particularly in her criticism of the military council. He said: "On one occasion she was being interviewed on national TV after the revolution and when she criticized the military council the interviewer announced that he got orders to terminate the interview from his superiors.

Young people -- much credited with bringing about Egypt's revolution -- are central to Kamel's philosophy. "What we need is not only a political revolution but also a social revolution," she said. "Politics under the Mubarak regime was thugs and black deals, so I want to work to build new values for Egypt." She added: "I believe in tolerance and dialogue between the generations. I tell the elders we must respect our sons and daughters and take them seriously." Kamel, a divorcee with one daughter, has just remarried. Her wedding to the activist judge Ashraf El Baroudi, a campaigner for judicial independence, slotted in between campaigning, trips abroad to speak at conferences on women's issues and studying law part-time at university.

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