CAIRO: The head of Egypt’s Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, has shut down his Facebook page, saying it was a “waste of time,” after the church ordered monks off social media.
State-run Al-Ahram newspaper said on Saturday that Tawadros’s decision was in line with a dozen measures announced Thursday by the church relating to the activities of monks.
One of the measures gave monks a month “to deactivate and close any social media pages or accounts and voluntarily renounce these behaviors that are not true to monastic life.”
On Thursday the church also said it will stop accepting any new monks for a year after the mysterious death of a bishop at a monastery northwest of Cairo.
In his last posting on Facebook before shutting the page, Tawadros said that using social media is a “waste of time, age and life.”
“That is why I am shutting down my personal Facebook page and I salute all my brothers and sons who have followed the instructions of my sacred church.”
According to Al-Ahram, several senior Coptic Church officials have followed Tawadros’s example and shut down their Facebook pages.
Tawadros became pope in 2012, and according to Egyptian media has not been active on Facebook since he opened his page in 2009.
Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s predominantly Sunni Muslim population of 100 million.
Meanwhile Egyptian police continue their investigation into the death of Bishop Epiphanius, the 68-year-old abbot of Saint Macarius monastery in Wadi el-Natrun, who was found with head injuries on Sunday.
A security official has said his death was being investigated as a possible murder.
Egypt’s Coptic pope quits ‘waste of time’ Facebook
Egypt’s Coptic pope quits ‘waste of time’ Facebook
Media ministry’s Konoz wins 6 gold awards
- “The Destination” showcases the developments witnessed in Saudi Arabia over the past few years across political, economic, medical, sports, cultural, media and artistic fields
RIYADH: The Konoz Saudi Arabia initiative, one of the Ministry of Media’s programs, achieved a global milestone by winning six gold awards at the AVA Digital Awards for its documentary film “The Destination.”
Awards were given for documentary, film, editing, informational, cinematography and directing.
With the achievement, the film’s total awards since its release have risen to 13, in addition to receiving three international commendations, bringing the initiative’s overall tally to more than 50 local and international awards.
“The Destination” showcases the developments witnessed in Saudi Arabia over the past few years across political, economic, medical, sports, cultural, media and artistic fields. The film highlights the steady and accelerated steps toward realizing Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s transformation into a global destination.
The documentary is currently available on the Shahid and stc tv platforms, in addition to being screened onboard Saudia flights. It combines creative footage drawn from trusted media sources covering events across the Kingdom with exclusive interviews featuring experts and specialists in the fields addressed by the film.
To date, the documentary has surpassed 10 million views across various platforms.
The AVA Digital Awards are among the most prestigious international awards, established in the US nearly 19 years ago. The awards aim to honor excellence in planning, directing, design and production across digital campaigns, audio and video production, website development, and social-media marketing and engagement.
