Egypt's Coptic Christians celebrate Easter Sunday

SHOTLIST

++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. Exterior of Cathedral
2. Close up of cross
3. Wide of worshippers seated for the service
4. Pope Shenouda III arriving to mass
5. Women clapping as Pope arrives
6. Top shot of Pope's arrival
7. Suited men standing in audience
8. Wide of congregation
9. Pope Shenouda
10. Members of the audience filming service
11. Pope Shenouda performing mass
12. Female members of the audience applauding, some taking pictures
13. Various of Pope Shenouda
14. Mid of two church officials
15. Wide of service
16. Wide of the audience clapping


STORYLINE:

The head of the Coptic church celebrated the forthcoming Easter Sunday in a midnight mass in accordance with the Orthodox calendar, to an audience of worshippers of one of the world's oldest Christian denominations.

AP Television footage showed worshippers packed into the cathedral to attend the service led by Pope Shenouda III, the spiritual leader of Egypt's Coptic Christians.

Orthodox Christians use a different calendar from Roman Catholics and Protestants, so their celebration of Easter usually falls on a different date from the rest of the Christian community and always after the Jewish festival of Passover.

Coptic Christians comprise roughly 10 percent of Egypt's 70 (m) million population.

They have a long history in Egypt, tradition says St. Mark brought Christianity to Egypt just a few years after the death of Christ.


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