Pope Shenouda III, the patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, has died aged 88 after 40 years spent leading Egypt's Christian minority during a time of increasing tensions with Muslims.
Shenouda died in his residence at the cathedral, and the state news agency Mena said he had been battling liver and lung problems for several years. Yasser Ghobrial, a physician who treated Shenouda at a Cairo hospital in 2007, said he had prostate cancer that spread to his colon and lungs.
"Baba Shenouda" as he was known to his followers, headed one of the most ancient churches in the world. The Copts traces their faith's origins to St Mark, who is said to have brought Christianity to Egypt in the 1st century.
For Egypt's Christians he was a charismatic leader, known for his sense of humour. His smiling portrait was hung in many Coptic homes and shops. He was also a deeply conservative religious thinker who resisted calls by liberals for reform.
Above all, many Copts saw him as the guardian of their community. Christians have long complained of being treated as second-class citizens, saying they face discrimination and that police generally fail to prosecute those behind anti-Christian attacks.
He kept a strict line on church doctrine including the ban on divorce, except in cases of adultery in the face of calls by secular and liberal Copts for reform, including reducing the role of clergymen in Christians' life.
Archbishop Moussa told mourners at the cathedral that Shenouda would be buried at the Bishoy Monastery.