J
Joyful_1
Guest
Where exactly do the Coptic Christians stand with the Catholic Church?
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P
passus
Guest
Which sects of Coptic Christianity are you referring to? The Coptic Catholic Church is in full communion with Rome. The Coptic Orthodox are not in communion with Rome, but their sacraments are valid.
H
Hesychios
Guest
The Coptic Catholic church was first established by western missionaries, probably mostly Franciscans (I have a hard time remembering the details now). They adopted the Coptic liturgy in their mission work. They were not primarily working to convert Muslims, but to service the Coptic Orthodox community and make converts in that way. (Since there was a major breach between the Pope of Alexandria and the Pope of Rome which was not showing signs of healing, it seemed worthwhile to introduce an alternative church.) The Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria (established 1895) is not allowed to use the title Pope, which is actually proper to the office of Patriarch of Alexandria.
Of course I am sure that they would have accepted Muslim converts as well, just as any Christian mission would, there could not have been many.
The actual Coptic church is Miaphysite, or non-Chalcedonian. They split with the Catholic-Orthodox communion over the proper definition of the nature of Christ in 451AD. The other party (Chalcedonian) would be categorized as Diaphysite, and that term would apply to the modern Orthodox churches such as Greek, Russian, Cyprus, etc plus the Roman Catholic church.
It may be the case that the whole squabble was overblown, and we are much closer in understanding than people were willing to admit long ago.
The Copts share our mutual understanding of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and have bishops and priests to confect it. The Copts have deacons, subdeacons and other minor orders.
If you have a chance to visit a Coptic Orthodox parish in your area, by all means do so. You may have to doff your shoes at the door.
copticchurch.net/images/pope3.jpg
Pope Shenouda III
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