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On the night of Tuesday, April 2, 1968, at 10:30 pm, some Muslim mechanics and public transportation drivers on their way home from work, found themselves just across from a church, when they saw a "lady dressed in white" kneeling near the cross at the top of the dome. These apparitions continued for months.
The apparitions were preceded by luminous phenomena described as "a shower of diamonds"... After these signs, Our Lady herself would appear. For several weeks, the crowd averaged about 250,000 people, with Muslims coming in large numbers alongside Christians. The Coptic pope made an official statement on May 5, 1968, concluding: "The Patriarchal See declares with complete faith that the Blessed Virgin Mary has appeared in clear and stable forms for several nights and for periods of over two hours, from April 2, 1968, until now, over the Coptic Orthodox Church of Zeitoun, in Cairo (Egypt), located on the road where the Holy Family travelled during its stay in Egypt. The Cardinal Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church (united with Rome), also endorsed the same official statement of recognition.