Stéphanos II Ghattas () (16 January 1920 – 20 January 2009) was an

eparch Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...

of the

Coptic Catholic Church The Coptic Catholic Church (), also known as the Coptic Catholic Church of Alexandria, is an Eastern Catholic particular church in full communion with the Catholic Church. Along with the Ethiopian Catholic Church and Eritrean Catholic Church ...

. From 1986 to 2006 he served as the

Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria The Coptic Catholic Patriarchate of Alexandria is the sole metropolitan see of the Coptic Catholic Church, a ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the Holy See of the Catholic Church. It follows the Alexandrian Rite in its own Co ...

. He was also a

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

. His canonization process has been initiated.

Biography

Ghattas was born Andraos Ghattas in the village of Cheikh Zein-el-Dine in the Girga Governorate (now part of the

Sohag Governorate Sohag () is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is located in the southern part of the country (Upper Egypt), and covers a stretch of the Nile Valley. Since 1960, its capital has been the city of Sohag. Prior to that, the capital was the city ...

), Egypt. Feeling called to serve as a priest, as a teenager he entered the

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Priesthood (Catholic Church), Catholic priests. They are generally ...

of the Coptic Church in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, then did studies at a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

secondary school in the city. He then went to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, where he studied at the

Pontifical Urbaniana University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian, is a pontifical university that was under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The university's mission is to ...

, earning doctorates in both theology and philosophy. He was ordained there on 25 March 1944. He then returned to Egypt where he taught at Coptic seminaries in the country, first at

Tahta Tahta ( / , ALA-LC: ''Ṭahṭā''; ; , ) is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile in an area known for its agricultural richness. Tahta had a population of 85,528 in the 2017 census. Egypt ...

, then at

Tanta Tanta ( ' ) is a city in Egypt. Tanta had a population of 658,798 in 2018, making it the fifth most populous city in Egypt. Tanta is located between Cairo and Alexandria: north of Cairo and southeast of Alexandria. The capital of Gharbia Gove ...

. In 1952 Ghattas entered the

Congregation of the Mission The Congregation of the Mission (), abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholic Church, Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vin ...

, doing his year of

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

in France. He then served in the Lebanon for six years, after which he was sent to Alexandria, where he was the Superior of the Vincentians in Egypt. He was chosen to be the Coptic Bishop of

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

on 8 May 1967 and

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

on 9 June 1967 in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

by Cardinal

Stéphanos I Sidarouss Stéphanos I Sidarouss () (22 February 1904 – 23 August 1987) was an Egyptian patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic ''sui juris'' particular church. He served as List of Coptic Catholic Patri ...

, Coptic

Patriarch of Alexandria The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot"). The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major epi ...

. He was elected patriarch himself on 8 June 1986. Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

granted him the '' ecclesiastica communio'' on 23 June 1986.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

named him a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

of the Catholic Church in 2001. As he was past the legal age of 80 at the time, however, he was unable to participate in the

Conclave of 2005 A papal conclave was held on 18 and 19 April 2005 to elect a new pope to succeed John Paul II, who had died on 2 April 2005. Of the 117 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2005 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. On the fourth ...

. Ghattas retired from the patriarchal office in March 2006, and his successor,

Antonios Naguib Antonios I Naguib (; 18 March 1935 – 28 March 2022) was the Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria from 2006 to 2013. He was made a cardinal in 2010. He was bishop of Minya in Egypt from 1977 to 2002. Biography Naguib was born in Samalut, ...

, was elected on 30 March 2006. Ghattas died in Cairo, where he had retired, on 20 January 2009, four days after his 89th birthday,http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/23223.php?index=23223&lang=en and was buried in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt in Cairo.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghattas, Stephanos 1920 births 2009 deaths Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II People from Sohag Governorate Vincentians Pontifical Urban University alumni Vincentian bishops Coptic Catholic Patriarchs of Alexandria 20th-century Eastern Catholic archbishops 21st-century Eastern Catholic archbishops Egyptian cardinals Vincentian cardinals People from Luxor People from Bethlehem 21st-century venerated Christians Coptic Catholic bishops

Biography

See also

Notes

External links