Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi appointed Youssef Absi as the Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church in the country, the state-run Egyptian Gazette announced on Monday.
In a presidential decree published in the Gazette on Tuesday, President El-Sisi appointed the 1946-born Absi as patriarch of Egyptian Coptic Catholics and as well their legal representative of Roman Catholic Church in the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The Egyptian President also conferred upon Patriarch Absi, who was born in Damascus, Egyptian citizenship.
He is replacing Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak, who had headed the Coptic Catholic Church since January 2013.
Absi was previously elected in June 2017 to head the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
Christians are estimated to make up around 10% of Egypts population. 92% of those follow the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
It is estimated that 164,000 are Egyptian Coptic Catholics in the country.s Sisi appoints a new Patriarch for Coptic Catholic Church
