Copts in Libya

The Coptic population is estimated to number 60,000.{{sfn|Morgan|Falola|Oyeniyi|2012|p=40}} The Copts are the largest Christian denomination, followed by {{circa}} 40,000 Roman Catholics and a small number of Anglicans.{{sfn|Morgan|Falola|Oyeniyi|2012|p=40}} They are present in all three major regions.{{sfn|Morgan|Falola|Oyeniyi|2012|pp=40–41}}

Historically speaking, Christianity spread to the Pentapolis in North Africa from Egypt;De regno 3; De insomniis 9; Hymns III.431. Synesius of Cyrene (370-414), bishop of Ptolemais, received his instruction at Alexandria in both the Catechetical School and the Museion, and he had a great deal of reverence and affection for Neoplatonist Hypatia, whose classes he had attended. Synesius was consecrated by Theophilus of Alexandria in 410. Since the Council of Nicaea in 325, Cyrenaica had been recognized as an ecclesiastical province of the See of Alexandria, in accordance with the ruling of the Nicaean Fathers. The Pope of Alexandria to this day includes the Pentapolis in his title as an area within his jurisdiction.{{cite web|url=http://www.coptic.net/articles/CoptsAndChristendom.txt|last=Atiya|first=Aziz|title=The Copts and Christian Civilization|website=Coptic.net|publisher=|access-date=25 May 2018}}

The Coptic congregations in several countries were under the ancient Eparchy of the Western Pentapolis, which was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church for centuries until the 13th century.History of the Coptic Church, by Father Menassa Youhanna

In 1971 Pope Shenouda III reinstated it as part of the Eparchy of Metropolitan Bishop Pachomius, Metropolitan of the Holy Metropolis of Beheira (Thmuis & Hermopolis Parva), (Buto), Mariout (Mareotis), Marsa Matruh (Paraetonium), (Apis), Patriarchal Exarch of the Ancient Metropolis of Libya: (Livis, Marmarica, Darnis & Tripolitania) & Titular Metropolitan Archbishop of the Great and Ancient Metropolis of Pentapolis: (Cyren), (Appollonia), (Ptolemais), (Berenice) and (Arsinoe).

This was one among a chain of many restructuring of several eparchies by Pope Shenouda III, while some of them were incorporated into the jurisdiction of others, especially those who were within an uncovered region or which were part of a Metropolis that became extinct, or by dividing large eparchies into smaller more manageable eparchies. This was also a part of the restructuring of the Church as a whole.

There are three Coptic Orthodox Churches in Libya: one in Tripoli, Libya (Saint Mark's), one in Benghazi, Libya (Saint Antonios - two priests), and one in Misrata, Libya (Saint Mary and Saint George).[https://libyanheritagehouse.org/religion/christianity-in-libya#:~:text=There%20are%20currently%20three%20Coptic%20orthodox%20churches%20in,Saint%20Mary%20and%20Saint%20George%20in%20Misrata%208. Libyan Heritage House website, Retrieved 2023-06-26][http://www.copt.org.au/publications/diary/D2005.pdf Coptic Orthodox Church Listings for Libya, p. 136] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719031825/http://www.copt.org.au/publications/diary/D2005.pdf |date=July 19, 2008 }}

In February 2014, seven Coptic Christians were dragged out of their houses in the middle of the night, then murdered on a beach, east of Benghazi.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-egyptians-idUSBREA1N13V20140224|title=Seven Egyptian Christians found shot execution-style on Libyan beach| Reuters website] A group of Copts were kidnapped on separate occasions in December 2014 and January 2015, then murdered by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. A video of the killing of 21 men, in which threats are made to "the nation of the cross", was released to the internet on 15 February 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-worldwide-mark-anniversary-21-beheaded-copts-isis-video-message-nation-of-the-cross-157923/|title=Christians Mark Anniversary of 21 Beheaded Copts in ISIS' 'Message to Nation of the Cross'|publisher=|access-date=25 May 2018}}

• Coptic diaspora
• Christianity in Libya
• Copts in Egypt
• Copts in Sudan
• 21 Martyrs in Libya

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|first1=Jason |last1=Morgan|first2=Toyin |last2=Falola|first3=Bukola Adeyemi |last3=Oyeniyi|title=Culture and Customs of Libya|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R65iYMCuK6gC|year=2012|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-37860-7}}
• {{cite book|author=Thomas C. Oden|title=Early Libyan Christianity: Uncovering a North African Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YqIz1b15ZIC&pg=PA21|date=2 December 2011|publisher=InterVarsity Press|isbn=978-0-8308-6954-1|pages=21-}}
• {{cite book|author=Richard George Goodchild|title=Libyan studies: select papers of the late R. G. Goodchild|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b30PAQAAMAAJ|year=1976|publisher=P. Elek|isbn=978-0-236-17680-9}}
• {{cite journal|last=Goodchild|first=Richard G.|title=Byzantines, Berbers and Arabs in 7th-century Libya|journal=Antiquity|volume=41|issue=162|year=1967|pages=115–124|doi=10.1017/S0003598X00033044}}
• {{cite journal|last=Eljarh|first=Mohamed|title=Libya's Copts under attack?|journal=Foreign Policy|volume=19|year=2013}}
• {{cite journal|last=Cafiero|first=Giorgio|title=The plight of Christians in post-Gaddafi Libya: as it was under the dictatorship, continuing insecurity for a religious minority: North Africa-issue in focus|journal=Africa Conflict Monthly Monitor|year=2013|pages=30–33}}

{{Coptic diaspora}}

{{Demographics of Libya}}

Category:Ethnic groups in Libya

Category:Libyan people of Coptic descent

Libya

Category:Oriental Orthodoxy in Libya