A highly public, modern-day apparition of Mary in Egypt (II)

From April 2, 1968, to September 12, 1970, the Virgin Mary appeared hundreds of times in Zeitoun, a suburb of Cairo, the capital of Egypt. All these apparitions took place between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., above the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. Mary. These hundreds of well-documented apparitions have been recognized by Coptic, Catholic and Muslim officials.

Cyril VI, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa and of the See of St. Mark, set up a commission of bishops and priests to investigate these sightings. In their report, the commission wrote: "Wishing to see the apparition with our own eyes, we spent several nights in the vicinity of the church. Finally, we saw the upper part of the Blessed Virgin surrounded by a halo. Then she appeared in her entirety and moved between the domes. Then she knelt before the cross and, finally, blessed the multitudes."

Mgr Athanasios, bishop of the diocese of Beni Soueif, wrote after spending the night of April 29-30, 1968, on site: "At 2:45 am, the Blessed Virgin appeared and the whole crowd could see her. She looked like a full-size luminescent statue. After a short moment, the apparition disappeared and reappeared at 4 am, remaining visible until 5 am. During this time, the Virgin Mary moved towards the west, at times extending her hand in a gesture of blessing and sometimes bowing her head. A halo of light surrounded her head. There were also a few luminous, slightly bluish, star-like shapes. The scene was poignant and beautiful."

The members of the commission of inquiry set up by Cyril VI authenticated the testimonies all the more easily that they themselves had seen the apparition, as had all those present.

After studying the reports and testimonies, Cyril VI declared: "These apparitions brought two great graces: the first is the strengthening of faith, the second is the miraculous healing of incurable illnesses." He officially confirmed the apparitions. Pope Paul VI aligned himself with the position of the Coptic Orthodox Church in favor of the authenticity of the apparitions.

Adapted and translated from:

Fabrice-Marie Gagnant, member of the Mary of Nazareth apologetics team 

1000raisonsdecroire.mariedenazareth.com