Here are ten pieces of information about Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria:
1. Pope Shenouda III was the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark.
2. He was born Nazeer Gayed Roufail on August 3, 1923, in the town of Asyut in Upper Egypt.
3. He joined the Coptic Orthodox Church at a young age and later studied at the Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary in Cairo.
4. He was ordained as a monk in 1954, and in 1958, he was consecrated as the Bishop of Christian Education and President of the Coptic Orthodox Sunday School Association.
5. In 1971, Shenouda was chosen as the Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark.
6. During his tenure, he worked to modernize the Coptic Orthodox Church and improve its relations with other Christian denominations and religions.
7. He established a number of new churches and monasteries and oversaw the construction of the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Mark in Cairo, which is the largest Coptic church in the world.
8. Pope Shenouda III was an advocate for social justice and human rights, speaking out against discrimination and violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt and working to improve their status in Egyptian society.
9. He was a prolific author and scholar, writing over 100 books on theology, history, literature, and other subjects.
10. Pope Shenouda III served as pope for over four decades, until his death on March 17, 2012, at the age of 88. He was widely mourned by Copts in Egypt and around the world and remembered as a great spiritual leader and social activist who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of his people and promote peace and understanding between different religions and cultures.
