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The Coptic Church believes that Mark, the author of the [[Gospel of Mark]], was [[African]]: "He was born in the Pentapolis or Qairawan (Now Tunisia or Libya according to other sources) approximately 15 years after our Lord was born."<ref>https://www.copticchurch.net/synaxarium/saints/mark.html</ref>

The Coptic Church believes that Mark, the author of the [[Gospel of Mark]], was [[African]]: "He was born in the Pentapolis or Qairawan (Now Tunisia or Libya according to other sources) approximately 15 years after our Lord was born."<ref>https://www.copticchurch.net/synaxarium/saints/mark.html</ref>

==Coptic Orthodox Tewahedo Church==

==Coptic Orthodox Tewahedo Church==

The Coptic Church of Egypt is a non-[[Council of Chalcedon|Chalcedonian]], or [[Monophysite]], Church.  Its ethos, lifestyle, and worship are similar to the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].  It is governed by the [[Patriarch | Patriarch of Alexandria]], who bears the title Coptic Pope. The [[Great_Schism#Chalcedonian_Schism | schism of 451AD]] resulted in two Patriarchs of Alexandria. <br>The [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox church]] was a part of the Coptic Orthodox church and recognized the patriarchy of the Pope and Patriarch in Alexandria until 1959, when Pope and Patriarch Kyrillos VI made the Coptic Church in Ethiopia [[Autocephalous]] with its own patriarch.

The Coptic Church of Egypt is a non-[[Council of Chalcedon|Chalcedonian]], or [[Monophysite]], Church.  Its ethos, lifestyle, and worship are similar to the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].  It is governed by the [[Patriarch | Patriarch of Alexandria]], who bears the title Coptic Pope. The [[Great_Schism#Chalcedonian_Schism | schism of 451AD]] resulted in two Patriarchs of Alexandria; one of them is the Coptic pope. <br>The [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox church]] was a part of the Coptic Orthodox church and recognized the patriarchy of the Pope and Patriarch in Alexandria until 1959, when Pope and Patriarch Kyrillos VI made the Coptic Church in Ethiopia [[Autocephalous]] with its own patriarch.

At present, there are around 10 million members<ref>http://www.copts.com/english1/index.php/who-are-the-copts/church-history/</ref> of the Coptic Church in Egypt. Due to increasing Islamic extremism, persecution and terrorizing of Copts has increased since the 1980s. There are also approximately 5 million Copts living outside Egypt. There are dioceses in the United States, Canada, and other nations.

At present, there are around 10 million members<ref>http://www.copts.com/english1/index.php/who-are-the-copts/church-history/</ref> of the Coptic Church in Egypt. Due to increasing Islamic extremism, persecution and terrorizing of Copts has increased since the 1980s. There are also approximately 5 million Copts living outside Egypt. There are dioceses in the United States<ref>https://copticchurch.net/directory</ref>, Canada<ref>https://directory.nihov.org/church/canada</ref>, and other nations.

On March 30, 2008, London Security forces ordered a "body search" for the Coptic Pope before boarding a flight to Egypt.<ref>http://geoconger.wordpress.com/2008/04/24/pope-strip-search-row-cen-42508-p-6/</ref> The intervention of an Egyptian diplomat prevented a full strip and body cavity search.  Later, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry threatened to treat all British diplomats the same way if this incident was repeated.

On March 30, 2008, London Security forces ordered a "body search" for the Coptic Pope before boarding a flight to Egypt.<ref>http://geoconger.wordpress.com/2008/04/24/pope-strip-search-row-cen-42508-p-6/</ref> The intervention of an Egyptian diplomat prevented a full strip and body cavity search.  Later, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry threatened to treat all British diplomats the same way if this incident was repeated.