Saint Mark the Evangelist
Evangelist, Martyr
Born	1st century AD Cyrene, Pentapolis of North Africa[1][2]
Died	April 25, 68 AD
Honored in	Coptic Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Lutheranism
Major shrine	Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Cairo, Egypt) Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Alexandria, Egypt) Basilica di San Marco (Venice, Italy)
Feast	April 25
Attributes	Lion in the desert; bishop on a throne decorated with lions; man helping Venetian sailors; man holding a book with "pax tibi Marce" written on it; man holding a palm and book; man with a book or scroll accompanied by a winged lion; man with a halter around his neck; man writing or holding his gospel; rescuing Christian slaves from Saracens.
Patronage	Barristers, Venice, Egypt, Mainar and others; see others in.[3]
Influences	Jesus, Simon Peter

Mark the Evangelist (Latin: Mārcus; Greek: Μᾶρκος; Coptic: Μαρκοϲ; Hebrew: מרקוס‎) is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main episcopal sees of Christianity.

According to William Lane (1974), an "unbroken tradition" identifies Mark the Evangelist with John Mark,^[4] and John Mark as the cousin of Barnabas.^[5] An exception is found in Hippolytus of Rome, who in his work On the Seventy Apostles, distinguishes Mark the Evangelist (2 Tim 4:11), John Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37), and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (Col 4:10; Phlm 24).^[6] According to Hippolytus, they all belonged to the "Seventy Disciples" who were sent out by Jesus to saturate Judea with the gospel (Luke 10:1ff.). However, when Jesus explained that his flesh was "real food" and his blood was "real drink", many disciples left him (John 6:44-6:66), presumably including Mark. He was later restored to faith by the apostle Peter; he then became Peter’s interpreter, wrote the Gospel of Mark, founded the church of Africa, and became the bishop of Alexandria.

According to Eusebius of Caesarea (Eccl. Hist. 2.9.1-4), Herod Agrippa I in his first year of reign over the whole Judea (41) killed James, son of Zebedee and arrested Peter, planning to kill him after the Passover. Peter was saved miraculously by angels, and escaped out of the realm of Herod (Acts 12:1-19). Peter went to Antioch, then through Asia Minor (visiting the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, as mentioned in 1 Pet 1:1), and arrived in Rome in the second year of Emperor Claudius (42; Eusebius, Eccl, Hist. 2.14.6). Somewhere on the way, Peter picked up Mark and took him as travel companion and interpreter. Mark the Evangelist wrote down the sermons of Peter, thus composing the Gospel according to Mark (Eccl. Hist. 15-16), before he left for Alexandria in the third year of Claudius (43).^[7]

In AD 49, about 19 years after the Ascension of Jesus, Mark traveled to Alexandria [cf. c. 49 [cf. Acts 15:36-41] and founded the Church of Alexandria, which today is claimed by the Coptic Orthodox Church.^[8] Aspects of the Coptic liturgy can be traced back to Mark himself. He became the first bishop of Alexandria and he is honored as the founder of Christianity in Africa.^[9]

According to Eusebius (Eccl. Hist. 2.24.1), Mark was succeeded by Annianus as the bishop of Alexandria in the eighth year of Nero (62/63), probably, but not definitely due to his coming death. Later Coptic tradition says that he was martyred in 68.^{[10][11][12][13][14]} It is believed that on the night when Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane Mark had followed him there and the Temple guards saw him, he ran away and dropped his loincloth.

His feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his symbol is the lion.^[15]

Biblical and traditional information[link]

Evidence for Mark the Evangelist's authorship of the Gospel that bears his name originates with Papias.^[16][17] According to D. A. Carson, Douglas J. Moo and Leon Morris, it is "almost certain" that Papias is referring to John Mark.^[18] However, some have argued that identifying Mark the Evangelist with John Mark and Mark the Cousin of Barnabas has led to the downgrading of the character of Barnabas from truly a "Son of Comfort" to one who favored his blood relative over principles.^[19]

The martyrdom of Saint Mark. Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry (Musée Condé, Chantilly).

The identification of Mark the Evangelist with John Mark led to identifying him as the man who carried water to the house where the Last Supper took place (Mark 14:13).;^[20] or as the young man who ran away naked when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51-52).^[21]

The Coptic Church holds the tradition of identifying Mark the Evangelist with John Mark, and holds that he was one of the Seventy Disciples sent out by Christ (Luke 10:1), as is confirmed by the list of Hippolytus.^[22] It also believes that Mark the Evangelist is the one who hosted the disciples in his house after the death of Jesus, into whose house the resurrected Jesus Christ came (John 20), and into whose house the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples at Pentecost.^[22]

Mark is also believed to be one of the servants at the Marriage at Cana who poured out the water that Jesus turned to wine (John 2:1-11),^[22] These traditions have no solid proof neither from the New Testament nor from Church history.

According to the Coptic church, Saint Mark was born in Cyrene, a city in the Pentapolis of North Africa (now Libya). This tradition adds that he returned to Pentapolis later in life, after being sent by Saint Paul to Colossae (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24; these actually refer to Mark the Cousin of Barnabas), and serving with him in Rome (2 Tim 4:11); from Pentapolis he made his way to Alexandria.^[23][24] When Mark returned to Alexandria, the pagans of the city resented his efforts to turn the Alexandrians away from the worship of their traditional gods.^{[citation needed]} In AD 68 they placed a rope around his neck and dragged him through the streets until he was dead.^[25]

Fate of his remains[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007)

Illumination of St. Mark in the 11th century Trebizond Gospel (Russian State Museum, Saint Petersburg).

Russian Orthodox icon of St. Mark the Evangelist, 18th century (Iconostasis of Transfiguration Church, Kizhi Monastery, Karelia, Russia).

St. Mark by Donatello (Orsanmichele, Florence).

In 828, relics believed to be the body of St. Mark were stolen from Alexandria by two Venetian merchants and taken to Venice, where the Byzantine Theodore of Amasea had previously been the patron saint. A basilica was built there to house the relics.

A mosaic in St Mark's Basilica, Venice depicts sailors covering the relics with a layer of pork. Since Muslims are not allowed to touch pork, this action was done to prevent Muslim intervention in the relics removal.^{[citation needed]}

Copts believe that the head of the saint remained in Alexandria. Every year, on the 30th day of the month of Paopi, the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the commemoration of the consecration of the church of St. Mark, and the appearance of the head of the saint in the city of Alexandria. This takes place inside St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, where the saint's head is preserved.

The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates his feast day on April 25.

In 1063, during the construction of a new basilica in Venice, St. Mark's relics could not be found. However, according to tradition, in 1094 the saint himself revealed the location of his remains by extending an arm from a pillar.^[26] The newfound remains were placed in a sarcophagus in the basilica.^[27]

In June 1968, Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria sent an official delegation to Rome to receive a relic of St. Mark from Pope Paul VI. The delegation consisted of ten metropolitans and bishops, seven of whom were Coptic and three Ethiopian, and three prominent Coptic lay leaders.

The relic was said to be a small piece of bone that had been given to the Roman pope by Giovanni Cardinal Urbani, Patriarch of Venice. Pope Paul, in an address to the delegation, said that the rest of the relics of the saint remained in Venice.

The delegation received the relic on June 22, 1968. The next day, the delegation celebrated a pontifical liturgy in the Church of Saint Athanasius the Apostolic in Rome. The metropolitans, bishops, and priests of the delegation all served in the liturgy. Members of the Roman papal delegation, Copts who lived in Rome, newspaper and news agency reporters, and many foreign dignitaries attended the liturgy.

See also[link]

• Feast of Saint Mark
• Gospel of John
• Gospel of Luke
• Gospel of Mark
• Gospel of Matthew
• John the Evangelist
• Luke the Evangelist
• Matthew the Evangelist

References[link]

General

• "The Apostle and Evangelist Mark (40–62)". Official web site of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. http://www.patriarchateofalexandria.com/index.php?module=content&cid=001003&id=38&lang=en. Retrieved 2011-02-07. 

Specific

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saint Mark

• The Life, Miracles and Martyrdom of St. Mark the Evangelist of Jesus Christ
• H.B. Swete, 'St. Mark in the New Testament'
• H.B. Swete, 'St. Mark in Early Tradition'
• St. Mark the Apostle, Evangelist, and Preacher of the Christian Faith in Africa
•  Joseph MacRory (1913). "St. Mark". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 
•  A. J. Schem (1879). "Mark, Saint". The American Cyclopædia. 
• Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy Orthodox icon and synaxarion

The Evangelist is the fifth album by Robert Forster. It was released by YepRoc in 2008.

Track listing[link]

All songs written by Forster, except where noted.

1. "If It Rains" – 3:47
2. "Demon Days" (R.Forster/G.McLennan) – 3:40
3. "Pandanus" – 3:59
4. "Did She Overtake You" – 3:24
5. "The Evangelist" – 4:30
6. "Let Your Light In, Babe" (R.Forster/G.McLennan) – 4:44
7. "A Place to Hide Away" – 2:33
8. "Don't Touch Anything" – 4:09
9. "It Ain't Easy" (R.Forster/G.McLennan) – 3:29
10. "From Ghost Town" – 5:42

Personnel[link]

• Adele Pickvance – electric bass, contra bass, mandolin, found sounds, mini moog, vocals
• Glenn Thompson – drums, acoustic and electric guitar, vocals
• Robert Forster – vocals, acoustic, nylon and electric guitar, piano, casio, harmonica
• Seamus Beaghen – celeste, piano, Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes
• Gill Morley – violin
• Audrey Riley – cello
• Sue Dench – violin
• Chris Tombling – violin
• Greg Warren Wilson – violin

This 2000s rock album-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
Pope Shenouda III at Cairo University, June 2009
Native name	Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ϣⲉⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲅ̅ البابا شنودة الثالث
Papacy began	14 November 1971
Papacy ended	17 March 2012
Predecessor	Cyril VI
Successor	Metropolitan Pachomious (Locum tenens)
Orders
Ordination	1954 (Priesthood)
Consecration	30 September 1962 (Episcopal)
Personal details
Birth name	Nazeer Gayed Roufail
Born	(1923-08-03)3 August 1923 Asyut, Egypt
Died	17 March 2012(2012-03-17) (aged 88) Cairo, Egypt
Buried	Monastery of Saint Pishoy, Egypt
Nationality	Egyptian
Denomination	Coptic Orthodox
Residence	Coptic Orthodox Patriarchal Residence

Pope Shenouda III (Coptic: Papa Abba Šenoutee pimah šoumt; Arabic: بابا الإسكندرية شنودة الثالث‎; Egyptian Arabic: البابا شنودة, IPA: [elˈbɑːbɑ ʃ(e)ˈnuːdæ]; 3 August 1923 – 17 March 2012^[1]) was the 117th Pope and Patriarch of the Church of Alexandria. His long episcopate lasted 40 years, four months, and 4 days [From 14 November 1971 till his death on March 17 2012].

As Pope of the Church of Alexandria, he headed one of the most ancient churches in the world, a Church that traces its founding to St Mark the Evangelist, who brought Christianity to Egypt during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius c. 49 AD [cf. Acts 15:36-41]. The Church of Alexandria is recognized in early Christianity as the Church of outstanding Church fathers and scholars like Pope Dionysius of Alexandria (Episcopate 248–265), Athanasius of Alexandria (Episcopate 328–373), Cyril I of Alexandria (Episcopate 412–444), Clement of Alexandria (lived 150–215) and Origen (lived 184/185–253/254).

His official title was Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic Seat of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. He was also the head of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. He was a conservative figure within the Church;^[2] and was also respected within the Muslim community.^[3]

Born Nazeer Gayed Roufail IPA: [nɑˈzˤiːɾ ˈɡæjjed] on 3 August 1923, he became a monk in 1954 under the name Father Antonios the Syrian after joining the Syrian Monastery of the Ever-Virgin Mary the Theotokos. In 1958, he was elevated to the priesthood. In 1962, Pope Cyril VI summoned Fr. Antonios and consecrated him General Bishop for Christian Education and as Dean of the Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary, whereupon he assumed the name Shenouda, which was the name of the Coptic saint, Shenoute the Archimandrite (lived 347/348–465/466), as well as two previous popes: Shenouda I (Episcopate 859–880) and Shenouda II (Episcopate 1047–1077). Saint Shenoute the Archimandrite was instrumental in flourishing the Monastic Movement, active in Ecumenical issues, a noted Church teacher and writer, and an Egyptian Leader. Pope Shenouda III maintained the legacy of the name he carried.

Following the death of Pope Cyril VI on 9 March 1971, the selection process resulted in Bishop Shenouda's becoming the new Pope. He was consecrated on 14 November 1971, presiding over a worldwide expansion of the Coptic Orthodox Church. During his papacy, he appointed the first-ever bishops to preside over North American dioceses, which now contain over two hundred parishes (200 in the United States, 23 in Canada and one in Mexico), up from four in 1971. He also appointed the first Coptic bishops in Europe, Australia and South America. Within Egypt, he struggled for the welfare of his people and the Church. Pope Shenouda III was known for his commitment to ecumenism and had, since the 1970s, advocated inter-denominational Christian dialogue. He devoted his writings, teachings and actions to spreading and propagating guidelines for understanding, peace, dialogue and forgiveness.

At the time of his death, Pope Shenouda III was viewed as one of the Great Patriarchs of the ancient Church of Alexandria, a well-known church father and teacher, a chief defender of the faith, and a noted Egyptian leader of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Early life[link]

Papal styles of Pope Shenouda III
Reference style	His Most Blessed Beatitude and His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Pope and Patriarch
Posthumous style	The Thrice Blessed Pope

This article contains Coptic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Coptic letters.

Nazeer Gayed Roufail was born on 3 August 1923 in the village of Salaam, which administratively belongs to the Governorate of Asyut in Upper Egypt but ecclesiastically belongs to the Diocese of Manfalut. He was the youngest of a family of eight children, five girls and three boys – among whom were Raphael (Rouphael) and Shawki (Fr. Botros Gayed, 1918–1996). Nazeer's mother died shortly after his birth. He was raised by his older brother, Raphael, in Damanhur in lower Egypt, where he attended a Coptic Elementary School. Soon after, he studied at the American Middle School in Banha. He then moved to Shubra, a suburb of Cairo, where he enrolled at the Faith Senior Secondary (high school).

From the age of 14, Nazeer began reading poetry and he wrote many poems himself, especially between 1946 and 1962. By the age of 16, he was active in the Coptic Sunday School movement. He served as a Sunday School teacher, first at Saint Anthony's Church in Shoubra and then at Saint Mary's Church in Mahmasha.^[4]

In 1943, Nazeer enrolled in Cairo University (then called the University of King Fouad I) studying towards a Bachelor of Arts (B. A.) degree, majoring in English and History. Meanwhile, he spent his summer vacations at the Western Desert Monastery of St. Mary, known as “Deir El-Suryan” (Syrian Monastery). While a university student, he was a trainee in the Egyptian Military Reserve Corps.

In 1946, while still in his final year of undergraduate studies, he was allowed to enroll in the evening classes at the Coptic Theological Seminary usually open only to University graduates but the dean of the Seminary, Archdeacon Habib Girgis (d. 1951), made an exception in the case of Nazeer. The Personality of Habib Girgis was instrumental in shaping that of the future Pope, and Pope Shenouda always spoke highly of Habib Girgis.

Nazeer graduated from Cairo University with a BA in History in 1947. After graduation, he completed his military service as dux (top of group), and began work as a teacher of English, History and Social Sciences in a high school in Cairo. Meanwhile, he attended graduate courses in Archaeology and Classics at Cairo University specializing in the History of Ancient Egypt and Islamic Egypt. He worked as a high school English and Social Studies teacher by day, and attended classes at the Coptic Theological Seminary by night. Upon graduation from the seminary in 1949, he was appointed to teach New Testament and Old Testament Studies at the Seminary.^{[original research?]}. In the same year, he became the Editor-in-Chief of the Sunday School Monthly Magazine. In 1950 Nazeer resigned from secular employment to take up a full-time lecturing position at the Seminary.

In 1952 He was elected member of the Egyptian Journal Syndicate. In 1953, he was appointed a lecturer at the Monastic College in Helwan, offering courses in Theology there, and in the same year he began his dialogue with Jehovah's Witnesses, writing articles about their beliefs in the Sunday School Magazine.

Nazeer with others laboured for several years to establish a strong Sunday School and youth group at St Anthony's Church in Shubra. His ministry produced many devoted servants, who began establishing youth groups in neighbouring parishes.

An avid reader, he was a keen student of languages and a man of vast ecumenical insights. He spoke fluent Arabic, English, Coptic and French, and read Greek, Latin and Amharic.

Monastic life and educational service[link]

On 18 July 1954, Nazeer joined the monastic life at the Syrian Monastery of the Ever-Virgin Mary the Theotokos in Scetes in the Nitrian Desert (Western desert in Egypt). He was given the name of Father Antonios el-Syriani (Anthony the Syrian). From 1956 to 1962, he lived as a hermit in a cave about seven miles from the monastery, dedicating his time to meditation, prayer, and asceticism.

On Aug 31, 1958, he was ordained as priest by the Late Bishop Theophilus, then abbot of St Mary Monastery (Syrian Monastery).

Antonios el-Syriani was among the candidates nominated for the papal throne in 1959, but at that time, Pope Cyril VI was chosen for the post.^{[original research?]}

Bishop[link]

On 30 September 1962, Pope Cyril VI appointed him to the bishopric of Christian Education and as Dean of the Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary, and renamed him Shenouda in honour of the most renowned scholar and writer in Coptic, Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite (lived 347/348–465/466).^[5]

Under Bishop Shenouda's leadership, the number of students at the Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary tripled.^[5] Bishop Shenouda was suspended in 1966 by Pope Cyril VI,^[6][7] essentially because of "campaigns for change" instigated by Shenouda and his students. These campaigns, among other things, called for popular election of bishops and priests, a principle that Bishop Shenouda later applied when he became Pope of Alexandria. This conflict between Pope Cyril VI and Bishop Shenouda was later resolved.

Pope and patriarch[link]

Pope Shenouda at the consecration of a Coptic Church in Staten Island, New York City.

He was enthroned as Pope Shenouda III, the 117th Pope of Alexandria and patriarch of the See of St. Mark on 14 November 1971, nearly nine months after the death of Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria. The ceremony was the first and, as yet, the only enthroning of a Coptic Pope to take place in the new Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo.^{[citation needed]} He was the third Alexandrian Partriarch to take the name Shenouda; his namesakes were Shenouda I (859–880) and Shenouda II (1047–1077).

Some Copts argue that the choice of Pope Shenouda III as Pope (and Bishop) of Alexandria was not canonical, as Shenouda was already a bishop (although without a diocese), arguably violating Canon 15 of the Council of Nicea against the translation of bishops from one See to another.^[8][9] This issue caused an ongoing dispute in the Coptic Orthodox Church since 1928, and although the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church considered in the 1960s the General Bishops to be secretaries to the Pope in the degree of a Bishop, Pope Shenouda III was sometimes considered to be the fourth Bishop to become a Pope after Popes John XIX (1928–1942), Macarius III (1942–1944) and Joseph II (1946–1956).^[10]

Less than one year after becoming Pope of the Church of Alexandria, in October 1972, Pope Shenouda visited the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope of Rome, becoming the first Alexandrian Pope to do so since the Christological schism of the Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE. In May 1973, he penned a Christological statement that was agreed upon with the Roman Catholic Church and the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox Churches on the Nature of Christ, in a step towards settling the 15-century-old dispute of 451 and moving towards Christian unity. On 10 May 1973, he celebrated the return by the Roman Catholic Church of part of the relics of St Athanasius of Alexandria. From 25 to 30 September 1974 he went on a pastoral trip to visit the Ethiopian Church during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia.

Between 14 April and 23 May 1974, he became the first Archbishop of Alexandria to visit North America when he visited the USA and Canada. It was to become the first of many visits to that part of the world during his long Episcopate. He also visited Australia six times. The first visit was in 1989 (18 November – 10 December), the second was in 1991 (5–26 February), the third in 1993, the fourth in 1995 (August–September), and the fifth in 1996. His sixth and final trip took place in November 2002. He conducted an extended Silver Jubilee tour from 18 May to 20 December 1996, which took him to Europe, Canada, USA and Australia. From 11 to 13 April 2008, he made a second historical trip to Ethiopia following the resolution of the strain in the relationship between the two Churches caused by the communist coup in Ethiopia decades earlier.

Political stances[link]

Fallout with President Sadat[link]

Ten years into his papacy, in 1981, Pope Shenouda III had famously fallen out with President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. The relationship between the two men deteriorated due to several reasons.

[1] Since coming to power, President Sadat had started encouraging the growth of Islamic extremism in the country as means to fight communist groups and solidify his own power. During the term of office of Sadat's predecessor, Gamal Abdul Nasser, Islamic groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood had been suppressed.

[2] Sadat had also pushed forward a constitutional amendment that would have allowed him to stand for re-election as President more than twice. To make the constitutional amendment more appealing to the populace, Sadat bundled it with another constitutional amendment declaring Islamic Sharia law the main source of legislation, an action viewed as a step towards a more radically Islamic Egypt.

[3] Under Sadat, the Government released a census in 1977 that understated the number of Christians even contradicting earlier released censuses.

[4] The years from 1972 to 1981 saw an escalation of violence against the Christians of Egypt culminating in a massacre of Christians in a poor district of Cairo in 1981.

[5] Pope Shenouda was of the opinion that Sadat's Peace Treaty with Israel was ill-timed and should have been part of a larger comprehensive Peace in the Middle East.

President Sadat, was seen by Shenouda as becoming increasingly dictatorial following his acclaim in the international arena for the Peace accord with Israel. In September 1981, President Sadat rescinded the presidential decree of 1971 recognizing Bishop Shenouda as Pope of Alexandria. Pope Shenouda was banished by Sadat to an ancient desert monastery; however, the Christians of Egypt continued to view Pope Shenouda as their only leader, and he continued to conduct his duties from his desert monastery. Ecclesiastically, Sadat's decision was of no value. Administratively, Pope shenouda was confined to a monastery. However, Sadat was assassinated a month later, on 6 October 1981, by Islamic extremists, and in January 1985 Pope Shenouda was fully reinstated by Sadat's successor, Hosni Mubarak.

Israel[link]

Pope Shenouda had arguments with then President Anwar Sadat over both the Camp David Accords and what he said was the president's deficient response to growing Islamism.^[11] After a series of protests that led president Sadat to depose Pope Shenouda, he was exiled by Sadat and sent to the Nitrian Desert, to return three years after Sadat's assassination following an amnesty by Sadat's successor Hosni Mubarak.

His stance toward Israel was encapsulated by his words:

From the Arabic national point we should not abandon our Palestinian brothers and our Arabic brothers by normalising our relations with the Jews ... From the church point of view, Copts who go to Jerusalem betray their church in the case of "Al-Sultan Monastery" that Israel refuses to give to the Copts.

He also warned that Copts who visited Jerusalem would face excommunication on the premise that there was "no pilgrimage duty in Christianity and it is not a religious pillar, so since this visit can do harm to our national cause and [to the] Muslim and Christian people then we better not visit Jerusalem." He added that Copts should only go to Jerusalem after peace was established in the region.^[12] Some of the Coptic property within the compound of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (including the Coptic monastery known as Deir El-Sultan) was delegated to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Upon the application of some bishops, the Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod, based on the direction of Pope Shenouda, also decided to ask Copts not to visit Jerusalem until the Church possessions and the monastery be returned. In 2006, the Holy Synod renewed the decree, urging Copts not to visit the Christian holy places in Israel, including Jerusalem.^[13]

His view on Palestinian suicide bombers was that it was a "natural reaction to the pressure and depression in which Palestinians live. They do not see any alternative but to explode themselves in the face of an enemy that uses all the means of power with no mercy."^[12]

Suicide bombers[link]

In the light of the September 11 attacks, he said of suicide bombing as a tactic that:^[12]

People who support and found reasons to feel good over these incidents are doing more than one wrong thing: first, ignoring the tragedy of killing an innocent group of people. Second, not thinking about the reaction of showing they found satisfaction in the incidents. Third, they are considered accomplices in the crime. Fourth, they are committing a wrongful act not approved by religion.

Persecution of Christianity In Egypt in his time[link]

Pope Shenouda III struggled for his persecuted people on many fronts including against successive Egyptian Governments as well as against the rise of militant Islam. Particularly in Upper Egypt, the rise in extremist Islamist groups such as the Gama'at Islamiya during the 1980s was accompanied by attacks on Copts and on Coptic churches. The police have been accused of siding with the attackers in some of these cases.^[14]

Hundreds of Christian Coptic girls have been kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam, as well as being victims of rape and forced marriage to Muslim men.^{[15][citation needed]}

On Sunday 2 January 2000, at least 21 Christians were killed by Muslims in Al Kosheh in southern (Upper) Egypt. Christian properties were also burned.^{[16][citation needed]}

On Sunday, 2 January 2000, 21 Coptic Christians in Kosheh village in Upper (southern) Egypt, 450 kilometers south of Cairo, were massacred by Salafists. Christian properties were also burned.^{[17][citation needed]}. Later, a criminal court in Sohag governorate released all 89 defendants charged in the New Year's massacre in Kosheh without bail. Pope Shenouda III rejected the verdict openly, and told reporters, "We want to challenge this ruling. We don't accept it." As the court sentence could not be appealed, Pope Shenouda III said: "We will appeal this sentence before God."^[18]

In April 2006, one person was killed and twelve injured in simultaneous knife attacks on three Coptic churches in Alexandria.^[19]

In November 2008, several thousand Muslims attacked a Coptic church in a suburb of Cairo on the day of its inauguration, forcing 800 Coptic Christians to barricade themselves in.^[20]

In April 2009, two Christian men were shot dead and another was injured by Muslim men after an Easter vigil in the south of Egypt.^[21]

On 18 September 2009, a Muslim man called Osama Araban beheaded a Coptic Christian man in the village of Bagour, and injured 2 others in 2 different villages. He was arrested the following day.^[22]

On the eve of 7 January 2010, after the Eastern Christmas Mass finished (which finishes around midnight), Copts were going out of Mar-Yuhanna (St. John) church in Nag Hammadi city when three Muslim men in a car near the church opened fire killing 8 Christians and injuring another 10.^[23][24]

On 2011 New Year's Eve, just 20 minutes after midnight as Christians were leaving a Coptic Orthodox Church in the city of Alexandria after a New Year's Eve service a car bomb exploded in front of the Church killing more than 23 and injuring more than 75.^[25][26][27]

On 7 May 2011, an armed group of Islamists, including Salafists, attacked and set fire to two churches including Saint Menas Coptic Orthodox Christian Church and the Coptic Church of the Holy Virgin, in Cairo. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 12 people and more than 230 wounded. It is reported that the events were triggered by a mixed marriage between a Christian woman and a Muslim man.^[28]

Successive Egyptian governments have long hand in place laws that hampered the freedom of Christian worship and restricted the right to build or even renovate churches. They maintained and enforced an Ottoman era Hamayouni Decree restrictions on building or repairing churches. These governments also restricted Christians from senior government, diplomatic, military, and educational positions, and there has been increasing discrimination in the private sector.^[29][15] The government allowed various media outlets to attack Christianity and restricted Christians access to the state-controlled media to defent themselves or speak their minds.^[29]

Security agencies sporadically persecuted Muslim converts to Christianity.^[29] In Egypt the government does not officially recognize conversions from Islam to Christianity; because certain interfaith marriages are not allowed either, this prevents marriages between converts to Christianity and those born in Christian communities, and also results in the children of Christian converts being classified as Muslims and given a Muslim education.^[29].

Many colleges dictate quotas for Coptic students, often around 1 or 2% despite the group making up 15% of the country's population. There is also a separate tax-funded education system called Al Azhar, catering to students from elementary to college level, which accepts no Christian Coptic students, teachers or administrators.

Church growth[link]

Pope Shenouda during the consecration of a new Coptic Church in New York, USA

The papacy of Pope Shenouda III saw an expansion of the Coptic Orthodox Church in North America. While there were only four Coptic Orthodox churches in all of North America in 1971, today there are more than two hundred.^[30][31]

Relations with other churches[link]

Pope Shenouda III was well known for his deep commitment to ecumenism. He believed that Christian unity was a matter of faith rather than of jurisdiction.^[32] In 1973, Pope Shenouda III became the first Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria to meet the Pope of Rome in over 1500 years. In this visit, Pope Shenouda III and Pope Paul VI signed a common declaration on the issue of Christology and agreed to further discussions on Christian ^[33]. There were also dialogues with various Protestant churches worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

In an address he gave at an ecumenical forum during the International Week of Prayer in 1974, he declared, "The whole Christian world is anxious to see the church unite. Christian people, being fed up with divisions, are pushing their church leaders to do something about church unity and I am sure that the Holy Spirit is inspiring us."^{[original research?]}

Ethiopian Church conflict[link]

Following the arrest and imprisonment of Abune Tewophilos, Patriarch of Ethiopia, by the Marxist Derg regime that had deposed Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974, Pope Shenouda III refused to recognise the cleric who was installed as the Ethiopian Patriarch's successor. He, along with the Holy Synod, argued that the removal of Patriarch Abune Tewophilos was illegal and contrary to canon law, as it was an act of political interference. In the eyes of the Church of Alexandria, Abune Tewophilos remained the legitimate Patriarch of Ethiopia.

Though Patriarch Tewophilos was said to have been executed, the government of Ethiopia did not acknowledge that this had happened. Thus, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria refused to recognise any other Patriarch as long as Abune Tewophilos' death had not been confirmed. Formal ties between the Coptics Church and Ethiopia were then severed, although they remained in full communion. Formal relations between the two churches resumed on 13 July 2007.^[34]

Theological disputes[link]

Pope Shenouda III was involved in theological disagreements concerning the issue of theosis—the transforming effect of divine grace; he published eight booklets explaining his view of theosis and lectured on the issue in the theological seminary of Cairo and also in the seminary of Alexandria. Following the death of Father Matta El Meskeen, who held an opposing view, Pope Shenouda III issued warnings against those views.^[35][36]

Illness and death[link]

In the months prior to the Pope's death, rumours had spread through Cairo's Coptic community that he had fallen into a coma. The Holy Synod denied these reports. He regularly flew to the United States for medical treatment and, according to his doctor, Dr. Sherif Doss, he "[suffered] from kidney disease and diabetes."^[37][38]

The body of Pope Shenouda III, embalmed and vested upon the Holy Apostolic Seat of Saint Mark on 17 March.

Pope Shenouda III died on 17 March 2012 (8 Paremhat 1728 in the Coptic calendar^[39]) of lung and liver complications^[40] at his official residence shortly after returning from medical treatment abroad.^[41] He had stopped taking medication because he was too weak.^[42] However, Al Jazeera English's Coptic Egyptian reporter Sherine Tadros reported that he had been in good spirits prior to his death.^[3] His political advisor, Hany Aziz, said that his death was a result of "complications in health and from old age." The funeral took place following three days of lying in state^[43] On 20 March, he was buried at the Monastery of Saint Pishoy^[42] in Wadi el-Natrun,^[44] in accordance with his wishes.

Reactions[link]

During the night, an estimated over 100,000 mourners^[41] were said to have visited his body at St. Mark's Cathedral, causing traffic jams stretching for kilometres,^[43] that was taken out of a coffin and lay in a seated position on a ceremonial throne dressed in gold and red embroidered vestments, a golden mitre upon his head with a gold-tipped staff in his hand. Many Coptic figures from across the world started to return to the country in order to both pay their respect and work towards the selection of a new pope.^[41] Father Anglos Ishaq, the head of the church on the northern coast, said of his replacement that "it is too early to know what will happen next, but what is known is that the oldest bishop in the Holy See will be chosen as Locum tenens until a new pope gets chosen by elections from different church councils in the different provinces".^[45] Metropolitan Pachomious of Beheira and Pentapolis was appointed to take over papal duties, being the second-most senior Metropolitan in the Holy Synod in age after Anba Mikhail, but due to his failing health and age had to delegate this duty to Metropolitan Pachomios during the first meeting of the Holy Synod^{[citation needed]} after the death of their Pontiff, for the interim period until a new pope could be selected.^[43] Mourners from across Egypt went to Saint Mark Cathedral in Abbaseya to pay their final respects.^[46] Bells also tolled in Cairo's Abbasiya district, where the primary cathedral of the Coptic Church is located.^[45]

Political and religious reactions to his death came from across the Egyptian spectrum and internationally. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces issued a statement on Facebook that expressed his wish of "preserving the unity of Egypt and the unity of its social fabric" should be achieved.^[41] It added that with the loss, the country should "consolidate with each other in order to pass with Egypt towards security and stability."^[47] Its leader, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, decreed three days of mourning for Christians working for state institutions.^[44] The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party speaker of parliament, Saad Katatni, said of Shenouda's death that Egypt had lost "one of its national icons, a man who left a void in the political arena at a critical time."^[48] The party also issued a statement signed by the party's chairman Mohamed Morsi that stated Shenouda's life was "a long journey of big contribution in various fields domestically and abroad." Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri's statement read: "I give my sincere condolences to the Coptic brothers home and abroad. [He was a] national character and a symbol for patriotism and he gained wide respect and appreciation from the Egyptian people." Former Prime Minister Essam Sharaf called Shenouda as a "devout clergyman, a good citizen and a valuable leader. His memory will remain in our hearts. His vision was always that Egypt is not the country that we live in; but the country that lives in us." Upcoming presidential candidates also issued statements. Ahmed Shafiq said that his death was a loss to Egypt because he was a "unique religious leader and a distinguished character in the national history. Coptic church will pass this hard moment because of the great legacy of Pope Shenouda;" Amr Moussa added that Shenouda was "a great man who was working for the interests of the country. He was working for Egypt to stand as a unified front against the challenges facing the nation;" and Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh's campaign issued a statement saying that Fotouh had spoken with the Church's bishop of the youth, Bishop Moussa, to express his condolences to both the Coptic Church and Copts.^[47] Al-Nour Party's Members of Parliament walked out when a minute silence was held for Shenouda, with a party spokesman saying that "a minute of silence does not exist in Islam."^[48]

Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of al-Azhar University, said that "Egypt has lost one of its rare men at a sensitive moment when it most needs the wisest of its wise – their expertise and their purity of minds;"^[43] he also added that he "greatly remembers his vision towards Jerusalem and its history."^[41] Social media was said to be abuzz with memorials as well as criticism for Shenouda.^[49]

International reactions included:

•  Holy See – In a message of condolence to Copts, the Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI said: "I recall with gratitude his commitment to Christian Unity, his memorable visit to my predecessor Pope Paul VI, and their signing of the Joint Declaration of Faith in the Incarnation of the Son of God together in Rome, on 10 May 1973, as well as his Cairo meeting with Pope John Paul II during the Great Jubilee of the Incarnation, on 24 February 2000. I can say how the Catholic Church as a whole shares the grief that afflicts the Orthodox Copts, and how she stands in fervent prayer asking that He, who is the Resurrection and the Life, might welcome his faithful servant."^[50] He offered prayers for Shenouda on the day of his death^[51] and was said to share the pain of Copts over Shenouda's death.^[52]

Director of the Holy See Press Office Federico Lombardi said that Benedict XVI desired that "the Lord welcomes this great pastor" and add that "we will never forget the meeting between Pope Shenouda III and Pope John Paul II in Cairo on the occasion of his pilgrimage to Mount Sinai [in 2000]..."^[51] A statement attributed to him read: "The Catholic Church shares in the grief and prayers of Coptic Christians in mourning the loss of their spiritual leader...May the Lord welcome this great shepherd and give him the reward he deserves for his service."^[43][53]

•  Iran – Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdullahian praised Shenouda for "constructive and lasting efforts to achieve peace and justice" and offered his condolences to the Coptic Orthodox Church and Copts.^[54]
•  United States – President Barack Obama said of Shenouda that "we will remember Pope Shenouda III as a man of deep faith, a leader of a great faith, and an advocate for unity and reconciliation...a beloved leader of Egypt's Coptic Christians and an advocate for tolerance and religious dialogue."^[44] He also added that "Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Coptic Christian Pope Shenouda III, a beloved leader of Egypt's Coptic Christians and an advocate for tolerance and religious dialogue. We stand alongside Coptic Christians and Egyptians as they honor his contributions in support of peace and cooperation. [His] commitment to Egypt's national unity is also a testament to what can be accomplished when people of all religions and creeds work together."^[47]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her condolences on behalf of the United States to the Egyptian people^[55] and said: "As we reflect on his life and legacy, we reaffirm our support to the future peace and prosperity of Egypt. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Egyptian people and all those who mourn Pope Shenouda III."^[42]

Awards[link]

In 2000, Pope Shenouda III was awarded the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence by UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura on the recommendation of an international jury. The award was "for promoting exchange and understanding between Christianity and Islam in today's Middle East and his deep concern to pursue dialogue with all the great religious faiths and his major role in forging ecumenical links with all other members of the Christian family throughout the planet."^[56]

See also[link]

• List of Copts
• List of Egyptians
• Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria

• Official website
• Pope Shenouda III – Coptic Orthodox Church Network: Biography, Online Books, and Audio Sermons
• Articles by Pope Shenouda III in English from coptichymns.net
• More information about the life of Pope Shenouda III – from Saint Takla Haymanout the Ethiopian Church, Alexandria, Egypt
• Common declaration of Pope Shenouda III and Pope Paul VI (1973)
• Pope Shenouda's story and life in Arabic and English
• Pope Shenouda's Life (French)

Gary Neville

Personal information
Full name	Gary Alexander Neville
Date of birth	(1975-02-18) 18 February 1975 (age 37)
Place of birth	Bury, Greater Manchester, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1][2][3]
Playing position	Right-back
Youth career
1991–1992	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1992–2011	Manchester United	400	(5)
National team
1992	England U16	1	(0)
1992–1993	England U18	8	(0)
1995–2007	England	85	(0)
Teams managed
2012–present	England (coach)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Gary Alexander Neville^[4] (born 18 February 1975) is an English former footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years.

Neville spent his entire playing career at Old Trafford, making him a rare one-club man. At the time of his retirement in 2011, he was United's second longest serving player in the squad, behind his long-time team-mate Ryan Giggs. He made his international debut in 1995 and was first-choice right-back for club and country for more than ten years.

He is the older brother of Premier League footballer and Everton captain Phil Neville, who was also a Manchester United player (from 1993 until 2005). His sister Tracey Neville plays netball for England, his mother Jill is a receptionist for Bury.

Since retiring from football at the end of the 2010-11 season, Neville has gone into punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sports. On 14 May 2012, Neville was appointed as a coach at England by new manager Roy Hodgson.^[5]

Manchester United[link]

Early Career[link]

The older of the Neville brothers joined Manchester United as an apprentice upon leaving school in 1991, and captained the youth side to FA Youth Cup glory in his first season. He made his senior debut for United in September 1992 against Torpedo Moscow in the UEFA Cup.^[6] Neville emerged as part of Alex Ferguson's youth-oriented side of the 1990s (nicknamed Fergie's Fledglings, an updated take on the 1950s equivalent Busby Babes) that included his brother Phil, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes. In the 1994–95 season, he became first-choice right-back when Paul Parker was ruled out by injury, and remained so until his retirment, although in his first season as a regular player he often found himself on the sidelines as Denis Irwin was switched to right back with Lee Sharpe (normally a winger) filling the left-back role.

First Team Regular[link]

He formed a partnership with Beckham on the right wing, regularly contributing assists.^[8]

Club Captain[link]

Following Roy Keane's departure in November 2005, Neville was appointed the new club captain.^[9]

In January 2006, his actions were the subject of some controversy after his celebration in front of the visiting Liverpool fans at Old Trafford, when he was seen to run from the half-way line towards the opposing fans to celebrate the 90th minute injury-time winning headed goal by United defender Rio Ferdinand.^[10] His actions were criticised by Liverpool and fellow England defender Jamie Carragher, sections of the media and police who blamed him for disturbances between fans after the game. He was subsequently charged with improper conduct by The Football Association. Neville contested this, asking if it was preferable for players to act like "robots" and show no emotions. He was fined £5,000 and warned about his future conduct.^[11]

Neville recovered from an injury suffered against Bolton Wanderers in March 2007 and in his first match back, a reserve game against Everton in January 2008, he scored a rare goal in the 21st minute of the game which helped Manchester United to a 2–2 draw.^[12]

On 9 April 2008, Neville made his long-awaited comeback against Roma in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg at Old Trafford as an 81st-minute substitute for Anderson. Neville was welcomed back to the pitch with a standing ovation, and was promptly given the captain's armband. It was Neville's 99th Champions League appearance. However, he was not selected for the European Cup final squad on 21 May, though he did join in with the post-match celebrations after United won on penalties following a 1–1 draw with Chelsea. Instead, Rio Ferdinand and Giggs lifted the trophy together having shared the captaincy during Neville's absence.

Neville started his first game in seventeen months when he captained Manchester United for the 2008 FA Community Shield against Portsmouth on 10 August 2008. He then made another start against Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Super Cup, before making his first start at home since his injury against Villarreal in the opening group game of the UEFA Champions League 2008–09. On 21 September 2008, Neville started his first league game in almost 18 months when he played against Chelsea. Neville extended his stay at Old Trafford until June 2010.^[13]

On 27 October 2009, Neville was sent off for a tackle on Adam Hammill in United's 2–0 away win against Barnsley in the League Cup Fourth Round. He has played in an unfamiliar role at centre back due to a long-term injury to Rio Ferdinand and various minor injuries to Nemanja Vidić and Jonny Evans.

Neville added another medal to his honours list on 28 February 2010 when he came on as a substitute in the League Cup final win over Aston Villa. He did feature in enough league games to qualify for what would have been his ninth title medal, but United were beaten to the Premier League title by Chelsea who finished ahead of them by a single point.

Final Season and Retirement[link]

Having made only sporadic appearances in the last couple of seasons, Neville stepped down as team captain in September 2010 in preference of a more-regular first-team player, usually Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić or Patrice Evra, although he remained as club captain off the pitch.^[14]

His first squad number at Manchester United was number 27, which was issued to him when squad numbers were launched in the Premier League for the 1993–94 season. For the 1995–96 season, however, he was issued with the number 20 shirt which had been vacant since the departure of Dion Dublin the previous autumn. A year later however, the departure of Paul Parker enabled Neville to take up the number 2 shirt which he held until his retirement.

On 2 February 2011, Neville announced his retirement from football after almost 20 years playing at Manchester United.^[15] Neville's final professional appearance was against West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day 2011, a 2–1 victory at The Hawthorns.^[7][16]

Neville won eight Premier League titles,^[7] three FA Cups,^[7] a Champions League,^[7] an Intercontinental Cup,^[17] a FIFA Club World Cup,^[18] and two League Cups.^[7] The 2006 League Cup was his first trophy as captain.^[19]

His testimonial was played at Old Trafford against Juventus on 24 May 2011. Manchester United's starting line-up included members of the "Class of '92": Neville was joined by his brother Phil, Beckham, Butt, Scholes and Giggs. Juventus won the match 2–1.^[20][21] He made another appearance in Paul Scholes' testimonial at Old Trafford on 5 August 2011, playing for the New York Cosmos in their first fixture since their re-establishment in 2010.^[22]

International career[link]

Neville made his first appearance for England in 1995 when he was picked by Terry Venables for the friendly against Japan. On 23 May 1996, he was joined in the England team by his brother Phil Neville for a match against China; they had also appeared together in the 1996 FA Cup Final two weeks earlier and thus were the first pair of brothers to play together in an FA Cup-winning side and for England in the same season since Hubert and Francis Heron in 1877, 119 years earlier.^[23]

He was subsequently selected at right back for his country by five different coaches. The form of Manchester City's Micah Richards, Liverpool's Glen Johnson and Neville's Manchester United team-mate Wes Brown placed his position in the England team under threat in the latter years of his career.

As "a bit of a skeptic," Neville did not see Eileen Drewery, the faith healer Glenn Hoddle had brought into the England squad.^[24]

He had been the youngest first choice player in the England first team during Euro 96, his first tournament, playing in each game until the semi-final, when he was suspended and England were subsequently knocked out by eventual winners, Germany. He also played in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. A broken foot put paid to his hopes of playing the 2002 World Cup, but he quickly returned to the side after regaining his fitness, and was once again the first choice right back by the time of Euro 2004.

Neville missed the latter stages of the qualification campaign for the 2006 World Cup with injury. He returned to the England team in March 2006 for a friendly against Uruguay.

Neville was selected for England's 2006 World Cup squad. He played in England's opening Group B game against Paraguay but pulled his calf in training the night before the team's second game and was forced to miss the next three games until playing the full match in England's losing quarter-final against Portugal on 1 July. It was his 81st England cap, bringing him up to ninth in the all-time rankings, ahead of Gary Lineker and team-mate Michael Owen, who had briefly drawn level with Neville during the World Cup.

Neville briefly took over the England captaincy during this game after the substitution of David Beckham due to an injury shortly after half-time, despite the previous match's deputy captain John Terry also being on the field.

After the defeat to Portugal, Neville announced that he would continue to be available for selection for his country under new coach Steve McClaren and added that, unlike some former international team-mates, he would not ever make the decision to retire from the England set-up, stating: "That decision is not Gary Neville's to make". As one of three club captains (along with Terry and Steven Gerrard) in the first choice England line-up, he was mentioned as a contender for the England captaincy which Beckham vacated after elimination from the World Cup. However, he was clearly an outsider and Terry was given the job and Steven Gerrard made vice-captain.

On 11 October, Neville was involved in a game-changing incident during a Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia when his straightforward backpass took an unfortunate bounce and caused goalkeeper Paul Robinson to miss his kick, which resulted in the ball ending up in the net. Although Robinson was at the centre of the moment, Neville was officially credited with an own goal, the second of his England career; he has scored no goals for England.

On 7 February 2007, Neville won his 85th cap in England's 1–0 friendly defeat to Spain. His appearance took him to within one cap of equalling Sansom's record for an England full back, and eighth in the all-time appearances list for his country. However, an ankle injury suffered on 17 March 2007 while playing for Manchester United robbed him of the chance to equal Sansom's record, as he was forced to miss the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Andorra on 24 March and 28 respectively. Surgery on his ankle ruled him out of two summer matches at the new Wembley Stadium, and then a calf muscle injury delayed his recovery in the autumn. These injury problems together with a perceived decline in ability threatened to put an end to Neville's international playing career.

On 24 May 2009, Neville was given a surprise recall to the England squad by Fabio Capello for the World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra,^[25] but did not feature in any of these games.^[26]

Neville holds or co-holds a number of England records:

• When he came on as a substitute against Italy at Leeds in 2002, he earned his 51st cap, breaking the record for a right back held previously by Phil Neal
• His 11 appearances for England in the European Championship finals (over three tournaments) is a record
• Neville also holds the record for the most appearances by an outfield player without having scored a goal (other than own goals) for the England team. This less prestigious record was broken in 2004, having previously been held by Ray Wilson
• With his brother Phil, the Nevilles hold the record of England's most capped brothers, with 142 appearances between them. It was Phil's appearance as a substitute against Israel in 2007, a game for which Gary was injured, which broke a record they had jointly held with Jack and Bobby Charlton
• The Nevilles hold outright the record for the most appearances in the same England team by a pair of brothers with 31, although the 31st in 2007 came a whole seven years after the 30th

Neville wrote in his autobiography that, at times, he had reflected on his international career and thought sometimes that it was "a massive waste of time".^[27]

Media work[link]

Neville writes a weekly full-pager in the Sports section of The Sunday Times of Malta,^[28][29] the widest circulating newspaper of the country, which is home to the oldest recognised Manchester United Supporters' Club.^[30]

During the months after Neville retired from playing there were many rumours about what he would do next. He joined Sky Sports at the start of the 2011-12 season, taking over as match analyst on Monday Night Football from Andy Gray.^[31]. He is no stranger to punditry having worked for ITV during the 2002 World Cup which he didn't go to as he was injured and Euro 2008 which England did not qualify for.

During the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League Semi Finals between Chelsea and Barcelona on 24 April 2012, Neville reacted to Fernando Torres' winner with a strange moaning sound, making him an overnight internet sensation.^[32] And he did it again in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich in 19 May 2012. A late Didier Drogba equaliser led out the infamous moaning sound, described as a 'goalgasm' by some internet users.^[33]

Coaching Career[link]

Neville, who holds UEFA A and B Coaching Licences, was appointed to the England senior team coaching staff by newly appointed England Manager Roy Hodgson on May 14th 2012 along with Ray Lewington and goalkeeping coach Dave Watson signing a four year contract with The FA. ^[34] This will see him on the coaching team for the European Championships in the summer of 2012, and was met with the backing of former England and Manchester United team mate David Beckham who called his appointment a "shrewd move".^[35]

Personal life[link]

Neville married Emma Hadfield on 16 June 2007^[36] and their first child, daughter Molly, was born on 11 January 2009. Their second daughter, Sophie, was born on 25 March 2010.^[37]

In July 2009, he was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Bolton for his outstanding contributions to football.^[38]

In January 2010 it was reported that Neville has applied for planning permission to build an eco-friendly home, which would be the first zero-carbon house in north west England.^[39] Neville's testimonial game was reported to be the most eco-friendly game in English football history.^[20]

Career statistics[link]

Statistics accurate as of match played 1 January 2011^[6][40]

Honours[link]

Club[link]

• Premier League (8): 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2008–09
• FA Cup (3): 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
• Football League Cup (2): 2005–06, 2009–10
• FA Community Shield (3): 1996, 1997, 2008
• FA Youth Cup (1): 1991-92
• UEFA Champions League (1): 1998–99
• Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Individual[link]

• PFA Team of the Year: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2007
• Overall Team of the Decade – Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992/3 – 2001/2)

Notes[link]

1. ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup

References[link]