Egypt Coptic Catholics Mourn Pope Francis

Egyptian boy scouts carry a portrait of the late Pope Francis during a service at Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Catholic Cathedral, in Cairo, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Africa News

Egyptian Coptic Catholics attended a prayer service for the late Pope Francis at the Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Catholic Cathedral on Tuesday in Cairo.

Worshippers at the cathedral remembered Pope Francis' values and his efforts to bring peace to the world.

"Certainly, we believe that the Pope’s departure may be in body, but on the other hand, we believe that those who carry ideas, and that ideas never die," said Anba Basilius, Metropolitan of Minya.

Pope Francis was history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.

He died on Monday aged 88. He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday - a day before his death - to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, drawing wild cheers and applause.

Other regional churches and denominations have also declared their mourning of Francis. Egypt’s Al-Azhar - one of the oldest Sunni Islamic institutions - also offered condolences to the Vatican.

The Coptic Catholic Church is part of the Catholic Eastern Churches and is based in Cairo. Egypt counts seven dioceses of the church; an estimated 15 million Egyptians are Copts, according to Pope Tawadros II, the head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church.