Cairo, Egypt – Tearful and dressed in black, tens of thousands of Egyptian Coptic Christians thronged a funeral Mass on Tuesday for their patriarch, Pope Shenouda III, before he was buried in a desert monastery.
Local clerics, visiting clergymen and dignitaries packed St. Mark's Cathedral in Cairo as deacons chanted somber hymns and bearded, black-clad priests and monks recited prayers and as incense smoke flowed from their censers. Shenouda's body lay in a white casket in the elaborate regalia he traditionally wore to oversee services, complete with an ornate golden crown.
Many in the congregation broke down in tears, while others frantically waved goodbye as the Mass came to a close. Clerics, deacons and laypeople gathered around the casket, kissing it, standing in silence or bowing in respect.
STORY: Pope of Egypt's Coptic Christian Church dies
Shenouda died Saturday at age 88 after serving for 40 years at the helm of the Coptic Orthodox Church, one of the world's oldest Christian denominations. Most of Egypt's estimated 10 million Christians are Orthodox Copts.
A successor has yet to be named, and it could take months before the complex process is completed.
Egypt's Coptic Christians — about 10% of the population have long complained of discrimination by the nation's Muslim majority. The political ascent of Islamists since the ouster of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak a year ago has deepened their anxiety.
Tens of thousands followed the Mass outside the cathedral, carrying portraits of Shenouda and crosses. Many wept, wiping tears from their faces as the melancholic tunes of the hymns reached them through loudspeakers.
Scores of military police were deployed to maintain security outside the cathedral. The cathedral is located on a main downtown artery and the service made normally congested traffic of central Cairo even worse, with cars backed up for hours because of the crowds.
"I know he is now in a better place, but it is difficult now he's gone. We miss you," said a grief-stricken Marianne Saad as she stood in the crowd outside the cathedral.
"After God, he was our only protector," lamented another young woman in the crowd. "We will miss him, but he will always be in our hearts," said a young Christian man, Hani Suleiman.
After the Mass, Shenouda's body was ferried to a military airport east of Cairo. From there it was flown to the St. Bishoy monastery in the desert northwest of the capital, where he was laid to rest.
Chaotic scenes erupted when a convoy of cars, including an ambulance carrying Shenouda's body, arrived at the monastery shortly before sunset. Military policemen struggled to control thousands of mourners who tried to push their way to the ambulance. Many in the crowd outside the monastery's walls tried to get inside when the convoy arrived, but soldiers kept them out.
Nearly an hour later, Shenouda's body was interred in a white marble tomb with a cross atop and covered with white flowers. Monks and laymen filled the burial chamber, with some of them ripping the flowers off the cross to keep as souvenirs. Some used their cellular phone cameras to snap shots or video the process.
The monastery, which dates back to the 4th century, was a favorite of Shenouda's. He spent more than three years of exile there after he was banished in 1981 by then-President Anwar Sadat, who claimed the patriarch was fomenting sectarian strife. Sadat's successor, Mubarak, released the pope in 1985.
Egypt's military ruler, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, declared a nationwide state of mourning on Tuesday.
During his 40 years as patriarch, Shenouda strove to ensure his place among the main players in this mainly Muslim nation, pressing demands behind the scenes while keeping Christians' anger over violence and discrimination in check. It was a delicate balancing act.
Shenouda maintained a high media profile, giving interviews, speaking on key domestic and regional developments and never allowing himself to show anger at times of crisis.
Egyptian authorities deny any discrimination, but Christians say it happens in numerous and subtle ways. Christians, for example, rarely receive leadership jobs on the police force, particularly the security agencies. The Islamist-dominated parliament only has a handful of Christians, and there are never more than one or two Christians among 30-plus Cabinet ministers.
As Egypt grew more religiously conservative over the past 40 years, the discrimination manifest itself increasingly in everyday life, particularly when Christians came into direct contact with government departments or enrolled their children at state schools, where Islamists often dominate the teaching staff.
The pope, accustomed to the monastic traditions of Egypt's unforgiving desert, had on occasion protested what he perceived to be gross injustices to his flock by living in seclusion for days or even weeks in remote monasteries. Although he publicly acknowledged that Christians were discriminated against, he never accepted that they be referred to as a minority, insisting that Copts were an integral part of the nation's fabric.
"When he got upset and angry, he left the world behind and returned to his cave, where he spoke to no one for days except his secretaries," said Father Wissa, one of the estimated 170 monks in St. Bishoy monastery, a cluster of mudbrick structures.
"No one can replace him. God brought us this person at a time we were in need for someone like him. Now at these difficult times, we need his wisdom the most."
The ceiling of Shenouda's burial chamber is covered with murals of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and saints. The chamber has a large dome surrounded by smaller ones, symbolizing open skies. The room has several small windows, just big enough to let in a faint light.
The chamber was originally a small museum housing a collection of antiquities belonging to the monastery, such as clay pots, the garments of the monastery's early fathers and musical instruments. The collection was moved after Shenouda expressed two months ago a desire to be buried in the monastery, Father Wissa said.