St. Athanasius and Friends

St. Athanasius even helped a modern hero, Pope Shenouda III, who led Copts from 1971 to 2012! Shenouda saw Athanasius as a great teacher, like a "theological dad". He loved Athanasius so much that he brought his relics back to Cairo in 1973. In the 1980s, when Egypt got tough for Christians, Shenouda likely prayed at Athanasius’ shrine in St. Mark’s Cathedral. A story says he felt a calm wash over him and got a good idea to fix things—straight from Athanasius’ prayers, he said!

This wasn’t a one-time thing—Shenouda often talked about Athanasius like a friend in heaven. Coptic kids see this as Athanasius jumping in to save the day, proving he’s still got Pope Shenouda’s back—and ours too—whenever trouble comes knocking.