Pope Shenouda

Pope Shenouda III is the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church; initially a monk and then a bishop, he has been the Patriarch of Alexandria since 1971.  Before his ascension to the highest post in the Coptic Church, he taught New Testament studies, eventually becoming Dean of the Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary. His papacy has not been without contention, including a three-year exile to the Egyptian desert following persecution by extremists.

The Coptic Orthodox Church is the largest Christian Church in the Middle East. Traditionally believed to have been started by Jesus Christ's disciple Mark, it differs theologically from Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, from which it split following the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The doctrinal differences relate to the churches' differing understandings of the divine and human natures of Jesus Christ. Pope Shenouda is a strong advocate for dialogue with other Christian churches.

For more information on Pope Shenouda, see http://bit.ly/IPZd.