I myself am very interested in the Coptic tradition and have attended Coptic Orthodox Liturgies but never a Coptic Catholic Liturgy. As far as I understand all the Coptic monasteries are Coptic Orthodox. Why are there no Coptic Catholic monasteries? I'm sorry to say this but I think that the Coptic Orthodox Church are more in touch with the Coptic Liturgical and monastic life than the Coptic Catholic are. Could someone explain?

Is it because the Catholic Copts are such a small percentage of the Coptic Christian total?

Bob

???

There are far more Coptic Orthodox than Coptic Catholics.

Shlomo Lkhoolkhoon,

Out of the 200,000 Catholics in Egypt. 190,000 are Coptic. They are lead by Stephanos II Ghattas, Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria and All of Africa.

There are a few parishes outside of Egypt, but like most of us Eastern Catholics no eparch is appointed to help guide and grow this Church outside of its traditional territory.

Fush BaShlomo Lkhoolkhoon,
Yuhannon

You mean Antonios I Naguib. Stephanos II passed away in 2009.

The latest AP figures are for about 165,000 Coptic Catholics. There are some 9,000,000 Coptic Orthodox.

Many years,

Neil

So they refuse (don't have enough vocation and money) to have a monastery because of number and not because of some other reason.

The model of religious life presented to the Coptic Catholics would have been that of the Latin West. Everything from the West would have been seen as wonderful and superior (Britain and France were busy with ensuring Egypt was in their pocket, because they owned the the all important life line of their empires the Suez Canal). After all Europe was taking over the world and quickly. Monastercism was having enough of a rough time in Europe and being active and useful (running parishes, schools and hospitals) was the way to go. So if you look at the religious life in the Coptic Catholic Church it seems to be almost all institutes of Priests and branches of RC ones at that.