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Editorial Note:
this
article was linked to by the Q&A:
Why
isn't the Assumption of Mary in scripture?
published
on October 21, 2007
Zeitoun
Zeitoun, also El-Zeitoun, is a district
of Cairo, Egypt. It became known for its Marian apparitions during the
years 1968-1971.
According to purported witnesses, the Virgin
Mary appeared in different forms over the Coptic Orthodox Church of Saint
Demiana at Zeitoun for a period of 2–3 years beginning on April 2, 1968.
The apparitions lasted from a few minutes up to several hours and were
sometimes accompanied by dove-shaped luminous bodies. They were seen by
millions of Egyptians and foreigners, including Copts, Eastern Orthodox,
Roman Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews and people of no particular
faith. The sick and blind are said to have been cured, and many people
converted to Christianity as a result.
Here's an excellent link:
The
Apparitions Of Virgin Mary
At
Zeitoun Church, Egypt
With
Real Photos
The Pope of Alexandria Kirellos VI appointed
a committee of high-ranking priests and bishops to investigate the matter,
headed by Bishop Gregorios, bishop of postgraduate studies, Coptic culture
and scientific research. On May 4 the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria
in Cairo issued an official statement confirming the apparitions. They
were also confirmed by the Jesuit Father Dr. Henry Ayrout, and by Rev.
Dr. Ibrahim Said of the Protestant Evangelical Ministries. Nuns of the
Society of the Sacred Heart also witnessed the apparitions and sent a detailed
report to the Vatican, resulting in the arrival of an envoy on April 28
who also saw the apparitions and sent a report to Pope Paul VI.
The apparitions were also witnessed by
President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and captured by newspaper photographers and
Egyptian television. Investigations performed by the police could find
no explanation for the phenomenon. No device was found within a radius
of fifteen miles capable of projecting the image, while the number of photographs
from independent sources suggests that no photographic manipulation was
involved.
Trivia
Farouk Mohammed Atwa, a bus mechanic who
worked across the street from the church, thought that the apparition was
a woman attempting suicide by jumping from the structure.
A New York Times article dated from May
1968 by Thomas Brady notes that some Arabs believed that the apparition
of St. Mary was a sign that God had witnessed the Israeli occupation of
the Holy Land.
The apparition at Zeitoun is sometimes
referred to as "Our Lady of Light."
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