Shenouda III
Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. In 1973 he signed with Pope Paul VI a common declaration of faith about Christ.
Shenouda III bore the titles Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark. In May 1973 he met Paul VI at the Vatican; their declaration notes that the meeting followed the return of relics of St Mark to Egypt (Paul VI and Shenouda III, Common Declaration (1973), heading and paragraph 1). Together they confessed Jesus Christ as perfect God and perfect man, his divinity and humanity joined in a real and perfect union (Paul VI and Shenouda III, Common Declaration (1973), paragraph 3), while saying that the differences between their churches since 451 could not be ignored and setting up a joint commission to study them (Paul VI and Shenouda III, Common Declaration (1973), paragraphs 7–8). See Ancient Christological Divisions Are Addressed.
In November 2012 Benedict XVI congratulated his successor, Anba Tawadros, on his election as head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, with a tribute to the progress made under Shenouda in relations with the Catholic Church (Benedict XVI, Message to Pope-Elect Tawadros (5 November 2012), whole text).
In the timeline
- 1973 to 1994, firm dateAncient Christological Divisions Are Addressed
Between 1973 and 1994 Rome signs common statements of faith in Christ with the Coptic pope and with the patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox delegates agree two statements of their own. None of them restores communion.