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[[Image:AnbaBishoy.jpg|thumb|right|160px|HE Metropolitan Bishoy]]'''His Eminence Metropolitan Bishoy''' (or Bishoi) was the [[Coptic]] [[Orthodoxy|Orthodox]] [[Metropolitan]] of Damietta, Kafr El-Sheikh and the [[Monastery]] of [[Saint]] [[Demiana]] (for nuns), Barrari, Belkas, Egypt. He also served as secretary of the Coptic Orthodox Holy [[Synod]] from 1985 to 2012.^{[http://www.theholysynod.copticpope.org/m004.htm]} He reposed in the Lord on October 2, 2018, aged 76.  ==Early life==Makram Eskander Nicola (His Eminence's name before [[consecration]]) was born on 19th July 1942. He completed his senior school in 1958 , and in 1959 joined the Faculty of Engineering (Mechanics Division) in Alexandria, Egypt, as a student. In 1963 he graduated with a Bachelor Degree at the age of 21 years, and took honors in becoming an was appointed Assistant Lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering(i.e., member of the academic faculty). Before leaving the world to become a [[monk]], he decided to complete his Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, which he received on 28th May 1968. Two days after the Faculty's ratification of his Master's Degree results, he left on the day of [[Ascension]] (30th May 1968) to become a monk in the Coptic Orthodox monastery of the Blessed Holy [[Virgin Mary]] that is famous by the name of Deir Al-Sourian.^{[http://www.st-mary-mons.org/]}

On 16th February 1969 he became monk in Deir El-Sourian, and was named Toma El-Souriani (Thomas of Al-Sourian Monastery). Then against his will, he was [[ordination|ordained]] a priest on [[Palm Sunday ]] 1970, as he did not desire any priestly rank in the monastery. He was later ordained a [[hegumen ]] priest on 17th August 1972.

On 24th September 1972 he was enthroned against his will by [[Shenouda III (Gayyid) of Alexandria|His Holiness Pope Shenouda III]] as the [[Bishop]] of Damietta, Kafr El-Sheikh and the Monastery of Saint Demiana, Barrari, Belkas. On Sunday 2 September 1990 His Grace Bishop Bishoy was ordained elevated to the rank of Metropolitan in the [[Cathedral]] of Saint [[Athanasius the Great|Athanasius the Apostle]] in Damanhur, Egypt.

==Involvement in [[ecumenism|ecumenical]] dialogue with other [[ChurchesChurch]]es==

Despite His Eminence's very active and commended commendable involvement in fruitful ecumenical dialogues with other Churches(leading the representation of the Coptic Orthodox Church in these dialogues), he is frequently criticized by many because of his rather strong words against non-Orthodox Churches (and the [[salvation]] of their faithful),^{[http://www.zeitun-eg.net/members_contrib/anbabishoy06622.mp3 Arabic audio excerpt]} and also against those whom he labels as heretics [[heretic]]s or [[heterodox concerning ]] over dogmatic matters he does disagrees with.^{[http://www.zeitun-eg.org/members_contrib/AnbaGregoriosLetter2AnbaBishoy1985.zip]} In March 2007, the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches in Egypt officially and publicly protested in the newsmedia against Metropolitan Bishoy's teachings that Catholics and Protestants will not agree withbe saved. The issue was widely covered in the mainstream secular newsmedia in Egypt, e.g., [http://www.almasry-alyoum.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=51276 this Egyptian newspaper article] and [http://www.almasry-alyoum.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=51795 this second one from the same newspaper] (both articles are in Arabic).

==SourceBiographical source==