ABSTRACT
The contemporary situation of the Coptic Orthodox Church has been characterized as ‘Exode, exil intérieur et renouveau’ – Exodus, interior exile and renewal;1 this evaluation recognizes that the community has undergone an unprecedented religious revival, which has had significant political consequences within the context of modern Egyptian culture and society.2 In fact the Coptic Christian renewal has many facets in common, has marched at the same pace and echoed the revival that has taken place within the Muslim community in Egypt. Both the Christian and Muslim revivals had their immediate origins in the inter-war period, gathered pace after the end of World War II, and responded to the political crisis of 1967 with a deepening of religious and communal loyalty, which led to intensive conflict between the two communities throughout the last three decades of the twentieth century.3
