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Shenouda often subdivides a diocese into smaller parts after its bishop dies. Bishops, in Shenouda's view, should be closer to the priests and believers. Some dioceses, such as in the Sinai, are extremely small. But Reiss concluded, "The bishops prior to 1971 all represented large bishoprics, which gave them strength and influence. A larger number of bishops in smaller bishoprics increases the power of the patriarch to an extent no patriarch has enjoyed in centuries."

Matta has withdrawn to his monastery in recent decades, but his books still have a potent influence even though his books have not been sold in Coptic Orthodox bookstores in Egypt since 1985. No bishops have been selected from his monastery since 1971. Still, Matta's monastic revival has introduced a new generation to ancient Coptic monastic disciplines.

The followers of Matta and Shenouda are likely to struggle anew when Shenouda dies. The vitality of Coptic Orthodoxy may depend on whether the legacy of Father Matta and Pope Shenouda is conflict or cooperation between the church's bishops and monks.

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Also appearing on our site today:

Welcoming the Uninvited Savior | When the Holy Family fled Bethlehem, Herod's evil became a blessing for Egypt.

For more information about the Coptic church, see Coptic.net

The official site of Pope Shenouda houses articles by the pope, news, and a photo gallery.

Last year, the Detroit News covered local Coptic celebrations of the second millennium anniversary of Jesus' visit to Egypt.

In 1997, Cornelis Hulsman and Timothy C. Morgan reported on Egypt's Coptic church thriving in the face of bloody carnage, legal restraint, and discrimination.

For more Christianity Today coverage of Egypt, see our world report.

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December 3 2001, Vol. 45, No. 15