Virgin Mary appears in Alexandria?
Hundreds of Coptic Christians are massing in front of church of Virgin Mary in Portsaid in December 2009 waiting for appearance of Virgin Mary
Staff
Sat, 22/10/2011 - 16:00
Hundreds of Copts gathered in front of churches in the coastal city of Alexandria after reported sightings of the Virgin Mary from Friday morning until the early morning on Saturday.
According to eyewitnesses, Copts have converged hoping to see the Virgin. Streets were full of people chanting religious songs.
Videos of a light flashing in the sky were uploaded on to YouTube on Friday by people claiming it is an apparition of the Virgin Mary.
The "apparitions" came days after the unprecedented massacre that claimed the lives of at least 27 people, mostly Copts, most of them were crushed under military vehicles outside the state TV building, Maspero.
On 9 October Copts were protesting there against an attack on a church in the Upper Egyptian province of Aswan. Eyewitnesses say the army responded violently, firing live ammunition, and military vehicles were seen running over protestors in the most violent scenes since the uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak in February.
Some Egyptians believe that the Virgin has appeared many times in the last half century, most notably between 1968 and 1970, when the whole country discussed these apparitions.
In December 2009, thousands of Egyptians - Copts and Muslims - gathered at the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in Cairo, some claiming that the Virgin Mary had appeared to them there.
In this most recent occurrence, some said that the apparition is a sign that the sky is sending Copts condolences for the victims killed in the Maspero clashes.
Copts make up around 10 percent of Egypt's population of 80 million. They have long complained of discrimination in building places of worship and in access to senior administrative posts, but have recently become increasingly alarmed with the repeated attacks against them.
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/507542
