Tens of thousands of Coptic Christians gathered in Cairo, Egypt, to mourn the death of Pope Shenouda, the spiritual leader of the Middle East's largest Christian community.
Egypt's Coptic Christians Mourn the Death of Pope Shenouda
Pope Shenouda's photograph outside the Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo, Egypt. March 19, 2012 (VOA-E. Arrott)
The Coptic church is one of the world's oldest Christian communities. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Egyptians converge on Cairo's main Coptic Cathedral to pay their last respects to Pope Shenouda, who died on March 17, 2012. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Coptic priest Bemen Shakr makes his way to the cathedral in Cairo, March 18, 2012. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Mourners lined up for hours in Cairo to pay their last respects to the late Pope Shenouda. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Coptic women make their way to the the cathedral in Cairo. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Security helps manage the tens of thousands who came to mourn the Coptic patriarch. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Tens of thousands of people came to mourn the Coptic patriarch. (VOA-E. Arrott)
A mourner holds photos of Pope Shenouda outside the Abassaya Cathedral in Cairo. (VOA-N. el Hamzawi)
A young Christian woman waits in line to enter the cathedral. (VOA-E. Arrott)