Zeitoun
Frá apríl 1968 til ársbyrjunar 1971 söfnuðust þúsundir manna saman á hverju kvöldi fyrir utan koptísku kirkjuna í Zeitoun (hverfi í Kaíró í Egyptalandi, nálægt þeim stað þar sem heilaga fjölskyldan er sögð hafa dvalið eftir flóttann til Egyptalands undan ofsóknum Heródesar) til að verða vitni að birtingum hinnar blessuðu móður. Ólíkt öðrum birtingum Maríu, til dæmis í Fátima eða Lourdes, gat hver einasti maður í mannfjöldanum séð hana, óháð kynþætti eða trúarbrögðum.
Eyewitnesses said her appearances over the church, which lasted anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, were heralded by flashing lights and the coming of large dovelike birds. On occasion, Jesus and Joseph accompanied the Blessed Mother. Published photographs taken during the apparitions show the figure of the Mother of Christ next to the dome of the church with a luminous bird hovering over her head.
During the Zeitoun apparitions, hundreds said they were spontaneously healed, and reports of cures and miracles continued even after the apparitions had ceased.
For more information
Thomas F. Brady, “Visions of Virgin Reported in Cairo,” New York Times, 5 May 1968, p. 71.
Fatima Prophecy: Days of Darkness, Promise of Light (Austin, Tex.: Association for the Understanding of Man, 1974), pp. 43–50.
Jerome Palmer, “The Virgin Mary Appears in Egypt,” Fate, August 1971, pp. 60–70.
Sources
Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Lost Teachings of Jesus 1: Missing Texts • Karma and Reincarnation, chapter 4, endnotes.