The Rev. Bishoy Andrawes knows well Egypt’s need for democratic reforms. The 41-year-old senior priest at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Washington, grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, where Copts face restrictions and discrimination from both government officials and Islamic extremists. During this tumultuous week in his homeland, Andrawes shared with The Washington Examiner by e-mail thoughts on his ancient faith and hopes for a modern miracle. Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?

I am Coptic Orthodox Christian. I was born and raised in that faith. We believe in one God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Our Coptic Church is one of the oldest churches in the world, established in 68 A.D. by St. Mark — the writer of the second Gospel — in Alexandria, Egypt. St. Mark was the first pope, and now Pope Shenouda III is the 117th pope. In the Coptic faith, the church plays a very important role in the lives of the believers. For example, any Coptic person would look for the Coptic Church before he looks for schools or real estate when moving to another city. I love the fact that we, Copts, take worship very seriously and consider that helping the poor and needy is not optional.