The Coptic Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic particular church in full communion with the
Roman Catholic Church.
The Coptic Catholic Church uses the Alexandrian Rite.
Uniquely among Eastern Catholic Churches, it uses the Coptic language (derived from
Ancient Egyptian, hence the name) in its liturgy, whereas the Ethiopian Catholic Church and
Eritrean Catholic Church use the Alexandrian Rite in the Ge'ez language.
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.
== History ==
=== Beginnings ===
In the 17th century, missionaries, primarily Franciscans, started to come to the Copts.
In 1630, a Cairo mission of the Capuchin Order was founded.
The Jesuits came in 1675.
In 1713, the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria again submitted to Rome but, as in 1442, the
union was not of long duration.In 1741, Coptic bishop Anba Athanasius of Jerusalem became
a Catholic.
In 1781, he was appointed by Pope Benedict XIV as vicar apostolic of the less than 2,000
Egyptian Coptic Catholics.
Eventually, Athanasius returned to the Coptic Orthodox Church and others served as Catholic
vicar apostolic.
=== Patriarchate === Under the assumption that the Ottoman viceroy
wanted a Catholic patriarch for the Coptic Catholics in 1824, the Pope established the
Patriarchate of Alexandria from the Apostolic Vicariate of Syria, Egypt, Arabia and Cyprus
but it was basically titular.
The Ottomans in 1829 allowed the Coptic Catholics to build their own churches.The number of
Catholics of this Rite increased to the point that Leo XIII in 1895 restored the Catholic
patriarchate.
He initially named Bishop 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 Pope over a controversy.
The patriarchate seat remained vacant until an election in 1947 and was administered by
Apostolic Administrator.
== Hierarchy == The Coptic Catholic Church sui juris comprises
a single ecclesiastical province, covering Egypt only.
The Patriarch is the sole Metropolitan Archbishop, retaining the ancient title Alexandria but
his actual see is in Egypt's modern capital Cairo.
He has seven suffragan bishops, throughout Egypt, comprising the only Coptic Catholic
ecclesiastical province : the eparchies of Alexandria (Patriarch's original home see),
Assiut, Guizeh (Gizah), Ismayliah, Luqsor (Luxor), Minya and Sohag.
== Religious orders == The Coptic Catholic Church does not have Coptic
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 Franciscans.
== Educational and health services == Most candidates for the priesthood are trained
at St. Leo's Patriarchal Seminary, 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.
== 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
== References ==
== Sources and external links ==
Coptic Catholic Patriarchate official website Coptic Catholic website
GigaCatholic Article on "Life in a Coptic Catholic Village"
"Italian-language video on the Coptic Catholic Church"
"Video of the ordination of Coptic Catholic deacons"
Article on the Coptic Catholic Church by Ronald Roberson on the CNEWA web site
Common Declaration of Pope Paul VI and Pope Alexandria Shenouda III, 1973