Letter of Condolences on the Death of King Edward VII by Pope Cyril V of Alexandria

ABSTRACTThe unpublished letter of condolences on the death of King Edward VII by Pope Cyril V of Alexandria is deposited in Christ’s College, Cambridge, U.K. The Coptic Orthodox Church never discloses its official correspondence, and this makes this letter unique because it reveals a correspondence between the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church and British state officials. This essay brings the letter out of the shadows of obscurity because it sheds light on a little-known aspect of Coptic history. Though the letter is short, it offers a unique glimpse of a previously unknown diplomatic papal correspondence. The essay sets the context of the letter by introducing first the bequeather, Sir Stephen Gaselee, and then the letter’s writer, Pope Cyril V (r. 1874–1927), concluding with a brief commentary on the letter, which is otherwise self-explanatory.