Stéphanos II Ghattas إسطفانوس الثاني غطاس | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal Patriarch Emeritus of Alexandria | |
| Church | Coptic Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Alexandria |
| See | Alexandria |
| Appointed | 8 June 1986 |
| Term ended | 27 March 2006 |
| Predecessor | Stéphanos I Sidarouss |
| Successor | Antonios I Naguib |
| Previous posts |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 25 March 1944 |
| Consecration | 9 June 1967 by Stéphanos I Sidarouss |
| Created cardinal | 21 February 2001 byPope John Paul II |
| Rank | Cardinal-Bishop Patriarch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Andraos Ghattas 16 January 1920 Cheikh Zein-el-Dine, Girga Governorate, Egypt |
| Died | 20 January 2009 (aged 89) Cairo, Egypt |
| Buried | Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt, Cairo |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Denomination | Coptic Catholic Church |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Sainthood | |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Title as Saint | Servant of God |
| Styles of Stéphanos II Ghattas | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Beatitude |
| Spoken style | Your Beatitude |
| Religious style | His Holiness |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Stéphanos II GhattasCM (Arabic:إسطفانوس الثاني غطاس) (16 January 1920 – 20 January 2009) was aneparch of theCoptic Catholic Church. From 1986 to 2006 he served as theCoptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria.[1] He was also aCardinal. Hiscanonization process has been initiated.[2]
Ghattas was bornAndraos Ghattas in the village of Cheikh Zein-el-Dine in the Girga Governorate (now part of theSohag Governorate), Egypt.[3] Feeling called to serve as a priest, as a teenager he entered theminor seminary of the Coptic Church inCairo, then did studies at aJesuit secondary school in the city. He then went toRome, where he studied at thePontifical Urbaniana University, 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 atTahta, then atTanta.[4]
In 1952 Ghattas entered theCongregation of the Mission, doing his year ofnovitiate 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.[4] He was chosen to be the Coptic Bishop ofLuxor on 8 May 1967 andconsecrated on 9 June 1967 inAlexandria by CardinalStéphanos I Sidarouss, CopticPatriarch of Alexandria. He was elected patriarch himself on 8 June 1986. PopeJohn Paul II granted him theecclesiastica communio on 23 June 1986.[4]
Pope John Paul II named him acardinal of the Catholic Church in 2001.[3] As he was past the legal age of 80 at the time, however, he was unable to participate in theConclave of 2005.
Ghattas retired from the patriarchal office in March 2006, and his successor,Antonios Naguib, was elected on 30 March 2006.[5]
Ghattas died in Cairo, where he had retired, on 20 January 2009, four days after his 89th birthday,[6] and was buried in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt in Cairo.[4]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Isaac Ghattas | Bishop of Luxor 1967-1986 | Succeeded by Aghnatios Elias Yaacoub, S.J. |
| Preceded by | Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria 1986–2006 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
