View source for Coptic Catholic Church

{{short description|Eastern Catholic church}}
{{Distinguish|Coptic Orthodox Church}}
{{Infobox religion
| icon               = Sertoth.jpg
| icon_width         = 30px
| name               = Coptic Catholic Church
| native_name        = {{nobold|{{native name|cop|ϯⲉⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲕⲁⲑⲟⲗⲓⲕⲏ|italic=no}}<br />{{native name|ar| الكنيسة القبطية الكاثوليكية}}}}
| image              = Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt.jpg
| imagewidth         = 290px
| caption            = [[Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt]], [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]
| main_classification = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
| orientation        = [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholic]]
| theology           = [[Catholic Theology]]
| polity             = [[Episcopal polity|Episcopal]]
| governance         = 
| structure          = [[Patriarchate]]
| leader_title       = [[Pope]]
| leader/moderator   = {{Incumbent pope}}
| leader_title1      = [[Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria|Patriarch]]
| leader_name1       = [[Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak]]
| director           = 
| fellowships        = 
| division_type      = [[Eparchy|Eparchies]]
| division           = 9
| associations       = [[Dicastery for the Eastern Churches]]
| area               = Egypt, with communities in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America
| language           = [[Coptic language|Coptic]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]]
| liturgy            = [[Coptic Rite]]
| headquarters       = [[Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt]], [[Cairo]], Egypt
| founder            = [[Mark the Evangelist]] (according to tradition)
| hospitals          = 
| nursing_homes      = 
| aid                = 
| congregations      = 166 (2016)
| members            = 253,100 (2023)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat17.pdf |title=The Eastern Catholic Churches 2017 |access-date=2019-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024215818/http://www.cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat17.pdf |archive-date=2018-10-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| ministers          = 243<ref>{{cite web|last=Roberson|first=Ronald G.|title=The Eastern Catholic Churches 2010|url=http://www.cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat10.pdf|work=Eastern Catholic Churches Statistics|publisher=Catholic Near East Welfare Association|access-date=28 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923222256/http://www.cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat10.pdf|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| missionaries       = 
| temples            = 
| primary_schools    = 
| secondary_schools  = 
| tax_status         = 
| tertiary           = 
| other_names        = ''Coptic Church''
| website            = [https://catholic-eg.com// catholic-eg.com]
| logo               = 
| footnotes          = 
}}
{{Eastern Catholicism}}
{{Copts}}
The '''Coptic Catholic Church''',{{efn|{{langx|ar|الكنيسة القبطية الكاثوليكية}};<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.dostor.org/3359090 |title= الكنيسة الكاثوليكية تحتفل بذكرى القديس فالنتينو الأسقف |website=www.dostor.org|access-date=2021-02-14}}</ref> ''{{langx|la|Ecclesia Catholica Coptorum}}'', ({{langx|cop|ϯⲉⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲕⲁⲑⲟⲗⲓⲕⲏ|translit=Ti-eklisia en-remenkimi en-katholikos|lit=the Egyptian Catholic Church}})}}, also known as the '''Coptic''' '''Catholic Church of Alexandria''', is an [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholic]] [[particular church]] in [[full communion]] with the [[Catholic Church]]. Along with the [[Ethiopian Catholic Church]] and [[Eritrean Catholic Church]], it belongs to the [[Alexandrian liturgical rites|Alexandrian liturgical tradition]]. Uniquely among the Alexandrian Rite [[Eastern Catholic liturgy|Eastern Catholic liturgies]], the Coptic Catholic Church uses the [[Coptic Rite]] and the [[Coptic language]] (derived from [[Ancient Egyptian language|Ancient Egyptian]]) in its liturgy; the Ethiopian Catholic Church and Eritrean Catholic Church use the [[Geʽez Rite]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=LaBanca |first=Nicholas |date=2019-02-19 |title=The Eastern Catholic Churches: Part 3, the Alexandrian Rite |url=https://media.ascensionpress.com/2019/02/19/the-eastern-catholic-churches-part-3-the-alexandrian-rite/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=Ascension Press Media |language=en-US}}</ref>

The current [[Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria]] is [[Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak]], who replaced [[Antonios Naguib]] in 2013. The offices of the [[patriarchate]] are located in [[Cairo]]. The patriarchal [[Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt]] is in [[Nasr City]], a suburb of Cairo.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

== History ==
===Beginnings===
Since the [[Council of Chalcedon]] in the 5th century and the official separation of the [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic Church]] from the [[Western Christianity|Western Christian]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] churches, the [[Catholic Church]] has attempted to achieve reunion with the Copts in Egypt many times. During the [[Council of Florence]] in 1442, the Coptic delegates present agreed to a reunion with the papacy in Rome,<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=ZkzyEAAAQBAJ&pli=1 |title =Laetentur Caeli: Bulls of Union with the Greeks, Armenians, Coptic, and Ethiopian Churches |isbn = 9798869171504 |last1 = Curtin|first1 = D. P.|date = January 2007}}</ref> but the Coptic populace was opposed to the idea, and the union did not take effect. Further failed attempts at reunion were undertaken by Coptic delegates in 1560 and 1582.<ref name="Coptic Relations With Rome">{{Cite encyclopedia |editor-last1=Atiya |editor-first1=Aziz S. |editor-link=Aziz Suryal Atiya |display-editors=etal|date=1991 |title=Coptic Relations With Rome |encyclopedia=[[Coptic Encyclopedia]] |volume=2 |publisher=New York: [[Macmillan Inc.|Macmillan Publishing Company]] |pages=609–611 |isbn=0028970241}}</ref>

In the 17th century, at the behest of [[Pope Urban VIII]], Catholic missionaries (primarily [[Franciscan]]s) started to come to Egypt. In 1630, a number of missions of the [[Capuchin Order]] were founded in the Levant by Joseph of Paris, including in Cairo.<ref name="Coptic Relations With Rome"/> Although the mission in Cairo initially faced setbacks, tensions with the local Coptic priesthood were eased following the arrival of the Capuchin priest Agathangelo of Vendôme in 1633.

Initial relations between Catholics and Copts in Egypt were poor. One Coptic councilor in 1637 referred to the Roman Church in Egypt as "a brothel".<ref name="Coptic Relations With Rome"/><ref name="Agathangelo">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O8O1_vnTS3QC&pg=PA50 |author1-last=Butler |author1-first=Alban |author-link= Alban Butler |author2-last=Burns |author2-first=Paul |editor-first=Thruston |editor-last=Herbert |display-editors=etal |year=1998 |orig-year=1756 |title=Butler's Lives of the Saints |volume=6 |edition=new full |publisher=Kent: [[Burns & Oates]] |pages=50–52 |isbn=0860122573}}</ref> Attempts to excommunicate Catholic offenders in the city were seemingly fruitless.<ref name="Coptic Relations With Rome"/> Agathangelo would later be hanged as a [[martyr]] in [[Ethiopia]] by order of the Ethiopian king in 1638,<ref name="Agathangelo"/> and the mission in Cairo would start to decline.

The [[Jesuit]]s came in 1675.<ref name="cnewa">{{cite web |last=Roberson |first=Ronald G.|title=The Coptic Catholic Church |url= http://www.cnewa.org/default.aspx?ID=63&IndexView&pagetypeID=9&sitecode=HQ&pageno=1 |work=Eastern Catholic Churches |publisher=Catholic Near East Welfare Association |access-date=27 January 2012}}</ref>

In 1741, the Coptic bishop, Anba Athanasius of [[Jerusalem]], became a Catholic.<ref name="ce">{{CathEncy|wstitle= Eastern Churches |volume= 5 |last= Fortescue |first= Adrian |author-link= Adrian Fortescue |short=1}}</ref> In 1781, he was appointed by [[Pope Benedict XIV]] as [[vicar apostolic]] of the fewer than 2,000 Egyptian Coptic Catholics.<ref name=cnewa/> Eventually, Athanasius returned to the Coptic Orthodox Church and others served as Catholic vicar apostolic.<ref name=cnewa/>

=== Patriarchate ===
Under the assumption that the Ottoman viceroy [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali Pasha]] wanted a Catholic patriarch for the Coptic Catholics in 1824, the Pope established the [[List of Coptic Catholic Patriarchs of Alexandria|Patriarchate of Alexandria]]<ref name=cnewa/> from the [[Apostolic Vicariate of Syria, Egypt, Arabia and Cyprus]],<ref name=gci>{{cite web|title=Patriarchal See of Alexandria|url=http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/alex0.htm|work=Catholic Dioceses in the World|publisher=GCatholic.org|access-date=27 January 2012}}</ref> but it was basically [[Titular see|titular]].<ref name=cnewa/> The Ottomans in 1829 allowed the Coptic Catholics to build their own churches.<ref name=cnewa/>

[[Pope Gregory XVI]] appointed Theodore Abukarim as "Apostolic Delegate and Visitor to the Abyssinian people" (i.e. the Coptic Catholics in Egypt) in 1840.<ref>Pope Gregory XVI, [https://www.vatican.va/content/gregorius-xvi/it/documents/breve-pastorale-officium-24-luglio-1840.html ''Pastorale officium''] (in Italian), published on 24 July 1840, accessed on 25 October 2025</ref>

The number of Catholics of this rite increased to the point that [[Pope Leo XIII]] in 1895 restored the Catholic patriarchate.<ref name=ce/> He initially named Bishop [[Kyrillos Makarios|Cyril Makarios]] as patriarchal vicar. Makarios then presided over a synod, which led to the introduction of some Latin practices. In 1899, Leo appointed Makarios as patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts, taking the name Cyril II. He resigned in 1908 at the request of the Roman pope over a controversy. The patriarchate seat remained vacant until an election in 1947<ref name=cnewa/> and was administered by an apostolic administrator.<ref name=gci/>

== Hierarchy ==
[[File:CopticCatholicJurisdiction.png|thumb|A map of the jurisdictions of the Coptic Catholic Church|center]]The Coptic Catholic Church ''sui juris'' comprises a single [[ecclesiastical province]], covering [[Egypt]] alone. The patriarch is the sole [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan archbishop]], retaining the ancient title Alexandria but his actual seat is in Egypt's modern capital [[Cairo]].

The Coptic Catholic Church has eight suffragan bishops, throughout Egypt, comprising the only Coptic Catholic [[ecclesiastical province]]: [[Abu Qirqas|Abu Qurqas]], [[Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Alexandria|Alexandria]] (the patriarch's original home seat), [[Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Assiut|Assiut]], [[Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Giza|Giza]], [[Ismailia#The Eastern Catholic Eparchy|Ismailia]], [[Luxor#Coptic Catholic Eparchy|Luxor]], [[Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Minya|Minya]] and [[Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Sohag|Sohag]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}
== Religious orders ==
The Coptic Catholic Church does not have Coptic [[Monastery|monasteries]]. Instead the church has [[religious congregations]] such as the three communities for women: the [[Sisters of the Sacred Heart]], the [[Coptic Sisters of Jesus and Mary]] (both based in Egypt) and the Egyptian province of the [[Little Sisters of Jesus]]. There is also a community of male [[Franciscan]]s and [[Jesuit]]s.<ref name=cnewa/>

== Educational and health services ==
Most candidates for the [[Presbyterate|priesthood]] are trained at {{ill|St. Leo's Patriarchal Seminary|ar|إكليريكية الأقباط الكاثوليك بالمعادي}}, 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnewa.org/default.aspx?ID=63&pagetypeID=9&sitecode=jer&pageno=1|title=Pontifical Mission -  The Coptic Catholic Church|website=www.cnewa.org|access-date=2017-01-20}}</ref>

== Ecumenism ==
Relations between the Coptic Catholic Church and the larger Coptic Orthodox Church are generally very good.<ref>{{cite web|title=Upper Egypt’s Copts: Coptic Christians strive to improve the lot of all Egyptians.|url=https://cnewa.org/magazine/upper-egypts-copts-30952/|first=Sean|last=Sprague|access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Eastern Catholicism]]
* [[List of Catholic dioceses in Egypt]]
* [[List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)]]
* [[List of Coptic Catholic Patriarchs of Alexandria]]
* [[Monasticism]]
* [[Oriental Orthodox Church]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources and external links ==
* {{Official website|http://coptcatholic.net|Coptic Catholic Patriarchate official website}}
* [https://facecharity.org/eastern-churches/coptic-catholic-church-2/ Coptic Catholic Church page at Fellowship and Aid to the Christians of the East]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201051/http://www.cnewa.org/mag-article-bodypg-us.aspx?articleID=736 Article on "Life in a Coptic Catholic Village"]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcPZu02_RsI "Italian-language video on the Coptic Catholic Church"]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qobnAQrtr6A "Video of the ordination of Coptic Catholic deacons"]
* [https://cnewa.org/eastern-christian-churches/toc/the-catholic-eastern-churches/from-the-oriental-orthodox-churches/the-coptic-catholic-church/ Article on the Coptic Catholic Church by Ronald Roberson on the CNEWA web site]
* [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/anc-orient-ch-docs/rc_pc_christuni_doc_19730510_copti_en.html Common Declaration of Pope Paul VI and Pope Alexandria Shenouda III, 1973]
* [http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/rite-Cp.htm GigaCatholic]

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[[Category:Coptic Catholic Church| ]]
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