Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III led the Eastern Orthodox Christmas Mass at the Saint Mark Cathedral in the Cairo district of al-'Abbāssīyah, attended by members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).
As soon as Pope Shenouda started thanking SCAF members, Christian worshippers chanted anti-military slogans like “People are a red line...Down with the military rule,” later developing into limited clashes with the organizers of the Mass.
Bishop Armīyā, the pope’s secretary, welcomed the MB leaders including Dr. Mahmūd ‘Izzat, representative of the group's Murshid (Guide), Dr. Muhammad Mursī, the FJP leader, and Dr. Sa’d al-Katatnī, the FJP Secretary-General. Then left immediately after greeting the pope and before the Mass began.
SCAF members who attended the Mass were Lieutenant General Sāmī ‘Anān, SCAF Vice President, Maj. General Muhsin Husnī al-Fanjarī, Maj. General Sāmī Abū al-‘Atā, Maj. General Muhsin Mufīd, Maj. General Muhammad ‘Alī Musilhī, Maj. General Muhammad Tal’at al-Hawārī, Maj. General Mahmūd Ibrāhīm Hijāzī and Maj. General Ibrāhīm Muhammad Nisūhī.
Presidential hopefuls ‘Amr Musá, Ahmad Shafīq and Hamdīn Sabbāhī were also present in the Mass.
Also present were Michael Meunier (Munīr) [Reviewer's Note: Founder and President of U.S. Copts Association and al-Hayāh Party in Egypt], ‘Ādil Imām, a veteran actor, the Egyptian ministers of electricity, tourism, culture and population, a number of ambassadors and consuls, including Anne W. Patterson, U.S. ambassador in Cairo, representatives of Egyptian liberal parties, including Dr. Muhammad Abū al-Ghār, leader of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party (ESDP), and leaders of the Free Egyptians Party, al-Wafd Party and al-Tajamu’ (Grouping) Party, and Dr. ‘Ātif ‘Abd al-Ghafūr, brother of the leader of the Salafī al-Nūr (Light) party.
Field Marshal Muhammad Husayn Tantāwī sent a congratulatory cable to the pope, wishing him well, and sent similar cables to expatriate Copts.Also, a number of Muslims joined Copts celebrating Christmas in the Evangelical church at Heliopolis. [‘Imād Khalīl, al-Misrī al-Yawm, Jan. 8, p. 3]
