Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-06
A NOTABLE IAIPOSTURE.
Death of the Egyptian COpt who Suc-
cessfuIIy Deceived a Pope Of


Death of the Egyptian COPt Who Sue
cessfuIIy Deceived Pope Of
Rome.
A few weeks ago there died at SpOletO,
italy, man who at one time successfully
deceived a Pope of Rome, and scandaliZed
the whole Roman Catholic Church. His
name was Abraham CaShiOur, and he was
an Egyptian Copt. The son ola fruit ped
der at Cairo, he was brought o Italy, and
educated at the College Of the Propaganda.
Here he gave ont that his father was OF i'm
mense wealth and great in
fiuence with the Egyptian Vice
roy. and that if he 0he sony were made
Patriarch Of the Egyptian Cops, the
schismatic COpts would in a mass ahjure
their schism and return TO the fold Of the
new church. Leo MI, who was then the
Pope, was deceived 10y this report, conSe-
Grated the young CashiOur as Patriarch, in
stalled him in elegant apartments, and
provided him with all the surroundings
suitable to his new rank. The Patriarch
received the cardinals, patricians, and EN-
bassadors, while the people crowded around
his carriage TO kiss his OutStretched
hand. 1t was observed, however,
that the new Patriarch was
very slow to 20 and take possession Of his
patriarchate. He fingered about Rome,
evidently enjoying the homage he was re-
ceiving. 1t was observed that letters he
had shown 70 the Pope, as coming to him
from Egypt, We're written on POntitical pa
per, and suspicious being aroused, the Pope
appointed priest, Canestrari by name, to
watch him.
Cashiour, seeing that his star was begin
ming TO pale, decided to start for Egypt
with the priest. Of course, all this was be-
fore the DAYS of railroads-abOut lSZ6-and
the false Patriarch Travelled slowly along in
his state carriage. He traversed the south
ern part Of the Pontific&l States, Sicily and
Malta, everywhere hOnored and teted, and
distributing, Is he passed, Denedictions
from the window of his coach.
In due course Of time the ship conveying
the Patriarch and priest arrived at the port
of Alexandria, and CaShiOur sent CanestraIi
in advance to arrange with the consular
corps and the local authorities for his cere-
monial disembarkmeut. Either he did this
in sheer desperation, or he had some faint
hopes that he might still carry on his i'm
posture. But his career Of successful fraud
was at an end. MOhamet Ali, on hearing
that Rome had sent, with great pOmp, a
Patriarch whose mission was to bring back
tie schismatic COpts 10 the ROmish Church,
flew into passion; declared that the new
Patriarch was an impoSter, and threatened
TO impale him if he dared to come on shore.
So Canestrari took CashiOUr back to
Rome, where the unhappy Copt was tried
by the Inquisition, and sentenced TO eccle-
siastical degradation and TO Imprisonment
for life.
For more than twenty years he fingered
in prison, until, in 1919, the shOu-lived
Roman republic of that day set at liberty
all the prisoners found in the dungeons o,
the InqusitiOn. Cashi0ur was among them
but a year later he decided to throw himself
on the mercy of Plus IN. who then had
Just remOunted his throne.
The Pontiff was touched by this mark OF
confidence, parloned the penitent impOstor
and even permitted him to resume the &c
clesiasticaI garb and to say mass. He also
assigned him pension of 800 francs, Fol
a time Cashiour lived at Rome, but finally
left the metropolis for SpOleto, where h
could support life more economically. Hi:
death brought to its close a strange aR6
cheduered career. AT this date, with tn,
general use of Geographic and mail facili
ties. such an impOStUre wuOld be impossible