Coptic Catholic Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coptic Catholic Church |
|
|---|---|
|
|
| Classification | Eastern Catholic |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Structure | Patriarchate |
| Pope | Francis |
| Patriarch | Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak |
| Associations | Dicastery for the Eastern Churches |
| Region | Egypt, with communities in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America |
| Headquarters | Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt, Cairo, Egypt |
| Congregations | 166 (2016) |
| Members | 187,320 (2017) |
| Ministers | 243 |
| Other name(s) | Coptic Church |
| Official website | catholic-eg.com |
The Coptic Catholic Church is a special part of the worldwide Catholic Church that is based in Egypt. It is an Eastern Catholic Church, which means it is in full communion (complete agreement and unity) with the Pope in Rome, but it keeps its own unique and ancient traditions.
This church is part of the Alexandrian liturgical tradition, along with the Ethiopian Catholic Church and Eritrean Catholic Church. A unique thing about the Coptic Catholic Church is that it uses the Coptic language in its services. The Coptic language is very special because it grew out of the language spoken in Ancient Egypt.
The leader of the Coptic Catholic Church is called the Patriarch. The current patriarch is Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak. The main offices and the beautiful Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt are located in Cairo, the capital of Egypt.
Contents
A Story of Faith and Unity
Early History
Long ago, in the 5th century, a big meeting called the Council of Chalcedon caused a split in Christianity. The Coptic Church in Egypt separated from the churches in the West (like Rome) and the East (like Constantinople). For many centuries, the Catholic Church tried to reunite with the Copts.
In 1442, during the Council of Florence, it seemed like a reunion might happen, but most of the Coptic people in Egypt did not agree to it, so the plan did not work out.
Catholic Missionaries in Egypt
In the 1600s, Catholic missionaries, mostly from the Franciscan order, began to travel to Egypt. They wanted to build a friendly relationship with the Coptic Christians there. In 1630, the Capuchin Order started missions in the region, including one in Cairo. At first, there were some disagreements, but things got better over time. Later, in 1675, Jesuit missionaries also arrived.
In 1741, a Coptic bishop from Jerusalem named Anba Athanasius decided to join the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict XIV made him the leader of the small community of Coptic Catholics in Egypt, which had fewer than 2,000 members at the time.
Becoming a Patriarchate
By the 1800s, the number of Coptic Catholics was growing. In 1824, the Pope created the Patriarchate of Alexandria for Coptic Catholics. A patriarch is a high-ranking bishop who leads an Eastern Church. In 1829, the government in Egypt allowed Coptic Catholics to build their own churches.
The community grew so much that in 1895, Pope Leo XIII officially restored the Catholic patriarchate. He named Bishop Cyril Makarios as the patriarch. After some time, the position became vacant and was looked after by a temporary leader until a new patriarch was chosen in 1947.
How the Church is Organized
The Coptic Catholic Church is organized into one large area that covers all of Egypt. This area is led by the Patriarch, who is based in Cairo.
This main area is divided into eight smaller regions called eparchies. Each eparchy is led by a bishop. The eight eparchies are:
Religious Life and Community Work
Religious Orders
The Coptic Catholic Church has several religious congregations, which are groups of men or women who dedicate their lives to serving God and the community. There are three communities for women: the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the Coptic Sisters of Jesus and Mary, and the Egyptian group of the Little Sisters of Jesus. There are also communities of Franciscan and Jesuit men.
Helping the Community
The church is very active in helping people through education and healthcare. Many priests study at St. Leo's Patriarchal Seminary near Cairo.
The church runs over 100 primary schools and some high schools too. It also operates a hospital, several medical clinics, and homes for orphaned children, providing care for many people in Egypt.
Relationship with Other Churches
The Coptic Catholic Church works to have a good relationship with the much larger Coptic Orthodox Church. This effort to promote unity and understanding between different Christian churches is called ecumenism. In general, the relationship between the two churches is very positive and friendly.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia católica copta para niños
- Eastern Catholicism
- List of Catholic dioceses in Egypt
- List of Coptic Catholic Patriarchs of Alexandria
- Oriental Orthodox Church
