H.H. Pope Shenouda's Flight

CopticPete

Hey I just heard from a couple of people that H.H. Pope Shenouda's plane had some engine problems, and I don't know what's happening, please tell me if anyone knows anything.

Paulh

I thought the same thing today, because it said on tv "The plane that carried the Orthodox Pope crashed." It turns out that it was the Roman Orthodox Pope, not ours.

marys

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Greece%20Patriarch%20Killed
It wasn't the Coptic Orthodox Pope as paulh has already mentioned but Pope Petros VII.. but can someone tell me why they keep refering to him as the Patriarch of Alexandria?

mmatt95

yeah that's an interesting question, the news scared the hell out of me: it was on the news and they kept saying the Pope of Alexandria as well, could anyone clare this up plz ???

mmatt95

i just read this post on coptichymns.net which clears things up:

His Holiness Pope Shenouda is the Non-Chalcedonian Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria. The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria is the Chalcedonian Patriarch, second to the E. Patriarch of Constantinople, the highest religious authority for the Eastern Orthodox.

http://www.coptichymns.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=28361#28361

egyprincess

huh? ???

CopticPete

Whoa, thanks. I was hearing the samethings as Hos Erof on the arabic news.

marys

Ohh.. ok. yea now it makes sense. After the churches split at the council of chalcedon, our pope and their patriarch had the same title, "The Patriarch of Alexandria", only each of them held the title in references to different churches.. the chalcedonian (them) and nonchalcedonian (us).

sherine

yeah omg, i thought he died, so does that mean that we have two popes?

mmatt95

no, but there's two popes of alexandria; one of the coptic church (our pope) one of the chalcedonian church, which is the one that departed today

CopticPete

Hey guys, thanks. I feel so much better knowing that the pope is safe :). I still feel sorry for the other pope's followers :'(.

arubaiscrazy

hey
god i was at my church and people were have and heart attack and calling the makkar....it was scary....by thank god it wasnt him....but i feel sorry for the other popr... :'( :'( :'( :'(....

GOD BE US ALL ESPECIALLLY SYLVIA......lol...

mike_henain

May God repose his holiness Pope Peter in the Paradise of Joy....

Here's an article about the tragic accident from a website:

Helicopter crash kills Alexandria Patriarch, Australian
Patriarch of Alexandria Peter VII, who is the second most senior figure in the Greek Orthodox Church, has been killed along with an Australian and 15 others in a helicopter crash in the Aegean Sea.

The Patriarch is the spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox Christians in Africa.

He had been heading to the Mount Athos monastery in northern Greece in an army helicopter when the aircraft disappeared from radar screens.

Military ships and planes launched a rescue operation and found wreckage and bodies in the water 5.5 nautical miles off the Halkidiki peninsula, where Mount Athos is located.

The Greek Government confirms the death of the 55-year-old.

Government spokesman Theordore Roussopoulos says the death is a "great loss for Orthodoxy and Hellenism".

He pays tribute to the cleric's "brilliant humanitarian work in Africa".

Monsignor Christodoulos, who is the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, spoke of his "great pain" following the accident.

Sixteen other people were on board the Greek Army Chinook helicopter, including the Patriarch's brother, several Alexandrian and other Orthodox clerics and five crew members.

The Greek Foreign Ministry says Australian Bishop Nektarios of Madagascar is also among the dead.

Greek Defence Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos says rescuers are still recovering bodies from the sea among the helicopter debris.

A ship specialised in under-water searches would arrive at the crash site on Sunday.

A military source says the crash is almost certainly accidental in nature, but that its cause is still unknown.

The patriarch had been on his way to make his first official visit to the semi-autonomous monastic republic of Mount Athos, a centre of Eastern Orthodoxy, since his appointment in 1997.

Peter VII has been greatly respected for his work on improving Orthodox relations with the Coptic and Roman Catholic churches, as well as for his many humanitarian commitments in Africa.

A speaker of Arabic and English, he held a variety of positions in the Orthodox Church of Alexandria and across Africa before becoming patriarch.

Born in Cyprus on September 3, 1949, Peter entered a seminary at the age of 12.

Following theological studies in Greece, joined the Alexandrian church in Cairo in 1970.

In 1980, he took up office in Johannesburg, followed by Cameroon and West Africa in 1994.