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[[Image:AnbaBishoy.jpg|thumb|right|HE Metropolitan Bishoy]]'''His Eminence Metropolitan Bishoy''' (or Bishoi) is the [[Coptic]] [[Orthodoxy|Orthodox]] [[Metropolitan]] of Damietta, Kafr El-Sheikh and the [[Monastery]] of [[Saint]] [[Demiana]] (for nuns), Barrari, Belkas, Egypt. He is also serving as Secretary of the Coptic Orthodox Holy [[Synod]] since 1985.<sup>[http://www.theholysynod.copticpope.org/m004.htm]</sup>
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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.<sup>[http://www.theholysynod.copticpope.org/m004.htm]</sup> 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 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.<sup>[http://www.st-mary-mons.org/]</sup>
==A "controversial" figure==
Despite His Eminence's very active and 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),<sup>[http://www.zeitun-eg.net/members_contrib/anbabishoy06622.mp3 arabic Arabic audio excerpt]</sup> and also against those whom he labels as [[heretic]]s or [[heterodox]] concerning over dogmatic matters he disagrees with.<sup>[http://www.zeitun-eg.org/members_contrib/AnbaGregoriosLetter2AnbaBishoy1985.zip]</sup> 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 be 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).
==Biographical source==
