" Watani Published by Watani Printing and Publishing Corporation 27, Abdel Khaleq Tharwat st. Cairo – Egypt Tel. 202-23927201 202-23936051 Fax 202-23935946 Website: www.wataninet.com E-Mail: watanipaper@gmail Editorial Sunday Editor-in-chief Youssef Sidhom Managing Editor Samia Sidhom 12 October 2014 2 Baba (Paope) 1731 18 Thul-Higga 1435 Issue 713 Year 14 Pope Tawadros II’s 33-day pastoral tour in The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Canada Problems on hold ‘Advice and guidance’ Painkiller, not treatment Youssef Sidhom The recent incident of the Gabal al-Teir Coptic woman who went missing for 25 days and was declared by the security officials to have converted to Islam has raised several alarming questions. The 40-year-old mother of five is now back home with her family and insists she never converted but, as I wrote last week, this does not mean the curtain has been drawn on the incident. A non-biased investigation is needed into the brutal police response to the wrathful protest of the Coptic villagers against police failure—rather, inaction—to find the missing woman and bring her home. The security officials responsible for and involved in the savage collective punishment inflicted on the Copts of Gabal al-Teir in Minya, some 240km south of Cairo, should be brought to justice. The second issue raised by the Gabal alTeir incident is that of conversion to Islam. This brings us to the ‘advice and guidance’ sessions, a practice which has been placed on hold for some 10 years now. For those who do not know, the advice and guidance sessions were informal meetings, held under the auspices of the security authority, between Christians who wished to convert and a priest or minister. The sessions were held only in case of adults who wished to convert; underage individuals are banned by law from taking such life-changing decisions. The priest was required to verify that the would-be convert was changing faith in full conviction—in which case the decision was fully respected—not under pressure or to escape some problem that could be circumvented by a legal change of religion. The advice and guidance sessions have been known to save the day in many cases where conversion was merely a manipulation of religion to bypass specific problems, but had nothing to do with faith. They spared the individual and the community unwarranted conflict and pain. Yet they had been unilaterally revoked by the Interior Ministry in 2004 in the wake of the notorious Wafaa’ Qostantin case. Qostantin, the wife of a priest in Beheira west of the Delta, had fled home owing to problems with her husband, and was rumoured to have converted. She came back a few days later and declared before the prosecution and in presence of Church representatives that she "had been born Christian, and will live and die Christian." The issue of the Gabal al-Teir woman led many Copts, rights activists, and those concerned with matters of faith to demand a comeback for the advice and guidance sessions. Had the practice been in place, they say, the entire community would have been spared unnecessary pain. In a surprise response, Interior Minister Muhammad Ibrahim declared that resumption of the advice and guidance sessions awaited a coordinated decision by the Church and alAzhar. I believe the Minister threw the ball into their court to buy himself time, since it is a fact that the sessions were halted by the unilateral decision of a previous Interior Minister, not by the Church or al-Azhar. It was typical of the tyranny of the police State which prevailed at the time and which Egyptians would never go back to. For his part, the current Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyib has stressed that conversion should be based solely on conviction, and Anba Pola confirmed on behalf of the Church that anyone who faithfully wished to convert was free to do so. Back in 1863, Khedive Ismail issued a decree stipulating that any Christian converting to Islam was not welcome unless both a priest and a Christian layman confirmed the beyond-doubt earnestness of his or her wish to convert. That was the origin behind the advice and guidance sessions. In 1969 – 1970, the security apparatus jumped on the bandwagon and required any wouldbe convert to apply to the security headquarters to arrange for the session. The community tolerated the security interference until that same authority gave itself the right to discontinue it. Today, if we are to resolve the issue of conversion, it should be prised out of the hands of the security authority and go back to being the business of the Church, alAzhar, and the National Council for Human Rights. The security apparatus should go back to enforcing the law not ‘writing’ it. I need to stress, however, that even with a comeback of the advice and guidance sessions, and even if this comeback is in a religious-civic form not a religious-police form, we are circumventing the real problem, resorting to a painkiller instead of treating the real ailment. The entire situation reeks of non-existent freedom of belief, even though this freedom is explicitly stipulated in the Constitution. Yet Egyptians are still categorised as Muslim, Christian, or Jew; their ID documents cite their religion. Let the advice and guidance sessions resume, and let the security apparatus get out of them. What is it that we stand to gain or to lose if a Christian converts to Islam or vice versa? I look to the day where there will be a new Egypt that knows not who is Muslim, Christian or Jewish; who belongs to a specific faith or who has none whatsoever. Because then it will be no one’s business to persuade, dissuade, or terrorise anyone on account of his or her faith. " C onnecting with the mother Church The Copts in Egypt missed him. But Pope Tawadros II insisted he had a responsibility Michael Victor The highlight of the Swiss visit was the 6th century monastery of St Maurice. Accompanied by Anba Luca Bishop General of France and French speaking Switzerland, towards those of his flock who resided outside the country, so much so that he spent 33 the Pope was received by the abbot, Monseigneur Joseph Roduit. There the Pope prayed days with them on a pastoral tour. After visits to The Netherlands, Switzerland and Canada, the at the shrine of St Maurice, and later presided over Holy Mass. Anba Luca handed Pope Tawadros Pope is back in Cairo, and it’s business as usual. But the 33 days spent outside Egypt carried very part of the relics of the saint to take back to Cairo. St Maurice was an Egyptian army officer from special significance to the Coptic congregation—and many surprises too. Upper Egypt who fought in Europe with the Theban Legion and died there in 305 because he refused to relinquish his Christian faith. Walking on Water The Pope always said he held the young in a very special place in his heart. True to his word, his first stop was at Stads-Canal in Groningen, The Netherlands, where he presided over a conference for Coptic young people in Europe. Some 800 young men and women participated. The Pope had arrived in Groningen on Thursday 28 August where he was met by Egypt’s Ambassador to the Netherlands Taher Farahat, the Coptic Orthodox Bishop of the Netherlands Anba Arsani, and the Bishop of Youth Anba Moussa. Friday morning, he presided over Holy Mass and gave a sermon on the "life of contentment". Contentment, he said, came from three sources: a personal life of prayer, praise, and close relationship with God; a steady immersion in Bible study so as to be always receptive to the word of God; and regular Holy Communion. A fair balance of these three, he said, leads to contentment and joy. The theme of the youth conference, which the Pope opened after Mass, was Walking on Water. According to Pope Tawadros, ‘walking on water’ is characteristic of a Christian life; he summed it up in four points: Fight for the right, let your target be eternal life in Heaven, keep the commandments faithfully, and flee from evil. The governor of Groningen met the Pope at the conference where they exchanged gifts. The young Copts had made an artefact of the Pope’s picture and they presented it to him amid resounding applause. Largest Coptic church outside Egypt The warm-hearted Christian family Busy schedule From The Netherlands, Pope Tawadros II headed to Switzerland where he met the Coptic congregation at St Michael’s Coptic Orthodox church in Geneva. There, the topic of interest was the Christian marriage the success of which, the Pope stressed, related primarily to the warm presence of Christ in the home. "Christian family life," he insisted, "should be based on love, respect of differences, candour, and union between the man and wife on all spiritual, emotional, physical, social, and dialogue levels." The Pope stressed the responsibility of the male head of the family towards his wife and children, a responsibility which should be exercised and reciprocated with gentleness, tenderness, and warm-hearted gratitude. While in Geneva, Pope Tawadros visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) on the first of September. He participated with representatives from ecumenical and international organisations in morning prayers followed by a meeting with staff and a conversation with the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit. The Coptic Orthodox Church is a founding member church of the WCC since 1948. In his reflections, Pope Tawadros spoke of the historic contributions of the Coptic Orthodox Church, among them vibrant traditions of spirituality, theological studies and monastic life. "The Coptic Church is one of the main pillars of Egyptian society," he said. There are also 28 parishes in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas, and more than 300 churches and 10 monasteries around the world, served by more than 400 clerics. The Church has also built a hospital in Kenya, and seven schools and seminaries in different places, as well as two cultural centres in the UK and the Netherlands. Egypt’s St Maurice: Martyred in Switzerland Pope Tawadros said there is "new hope for Egypt" with the adoption of a new Constitution in the country. He remembered the June 2013 Revolution in Egypt where, he said, "Christians and Muslims struggled together to end the dark [Muslim Brotherhood] regime". He affirmed the long history of peaceful social coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Egypt, despite occasional instances of attacks against Copts. The Pope expressed concern over migration of Christians from the Middle East. He called it a "dangerous trend" which he said cannot resolve the problems faced by Christian communities in the region. The WCC General Secretary, Rev. Tveit, affirmed the commitment of the WCC in solidarity with Christians around the world, particularly those in critical situation as in the Middle East. He added that the WCC is a global fellowship which brings together Churches from the East and the West in a quest for unity, justice and peace. If the length of visits goes by size, then the Pope was right to give Canada’s Copts a full 26 days of his visit. Arriving at Toronto on 4 September, he was received at the airport by Minister for Multiculturalism Jason Kenney on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and a number of Canadian MPs. Also there to welcome Pope Tawadros were Anba Serapion, Bishop of South California; Anba Macarius, Bishop of Eritrea; Bishop General Anba Botros; Anba Youssef, Bishop of South America; Anba Youssef, Bishop of Bolivia; Anba David, Bishop of New York; Bishop General and New Jersey papal deputy Anba Karas; Anba Yulius, Bishop General of Old Cairo; Anba Maqar, Bishop of Sharqiya; Anba Danial, Bishop and Abbot of Anba Shenouda Monastery in Sydney; and papal secretary Father Ammonius Adel. The Pope’s visit coincided with the celebration of the golden jubilee for the first Coptic Church in Canada; he was guest of honour at a dinner event held in Toronto, during which he met Prime Minster Stephen Harper, Mayor of Markham Frank Scarpitti, and a number of dignitaries and politicians. The Pope inaugurated and consecrated St Mark’s Cathedral in Markham, Toronto. Built on an area of 7100sq.m., it is the largest Coptic church outside Egypt, and houses several altars. The Pope presided over Holy Mass once he had consecrated the altars, icons, and all the sacred utensils with Myron—holy oil. Through a very busy schedule that took him from Toronto to Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Perth, Mississauga, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Halifax, Stouffville, Vancouver, Pope Tawadros met congregations, led prayers and presided over Divine Liturgy. He ordained new priests, baptised babies, laid cornerstones for new buildings, blessed land over which churches would be built, and consecrated altars and icons. He presided over seminars and conventions, and gave talks in which the main themes were love, joy, and tolerance, prayer and spiritual struggle. The Pope also met spiritual leaders and public figures. In Perth, Ontario, Pope Tawadros laid the cornerstone of St Anthony’s monastery, the first Coptic Orthodox monastery in Canada. His Holiness assigned Anba Macarius, Bishop-General of Minya, to supervise the overall development of the monastery. The Coptic Church had purchased a 250-acre property that included a ready-to-use building which the Church decided would make a good start to house the monastery. St Mark’s Coptic Museum While in Toronto, Pope Tawadros paid a visit to St Mark’s Coptic Museum where he was guided on a tour of the exhibits which he greatly admired. Even though many other museums boast Coptic collections, St Mark’s is the only Coptic museum outside Egypt. Open to the public since 2000, it houses a diverse collection of exhibits that run through Egypt’s history since ancient Egyptian times and on to the Greek, Roman, Coptic, Islamic, and modern times. According to the museum’s volunteer curator, Helene Moussa, the museum stresses that Coptic art is a living tradition that carries on to this day; the most recent acquisition is Victor Fakhoury’s The Martyrs of Maspero which commemorates the more than 20 Copts who lost their lives on 9 October 2011, run down by military tanks in Maspero, Cairo. The exhibits includes icons dating from the 16th to 20th century; hand woven tapestries from the 20th century Wissa Wassef School in Harraniya, Giza; manuscripts and rare books, coins, stamps, papyrus fragments, terracotta, metal, and wood works, crosses, and much more. The highlight of the museum collection are six of the original biblical scenes painted by the pioneering 20th century Egyptian artist Marguerite Nakhla in Coptic folkloric style. Every one of the items exhibited, Ms Moussa says, is backed with legally signed documents from the donors or sellers. "The Pope wrote a lovely message in our guest book," she says. The Pope’s packed schedule, however, did not get in the way of the constant telephone contact he maintained with his spiritual mentor, the widely loved and respected Anba Pachomeus, Bishop of Beheira and Pentapolis, who is in London for medical treatment. Pope Tawadros has been happy to learn of the Bishop’s much improved health. $ Watani International 2 12 October 2014 St Mark’s Coptic Church in Toronto The 50-year-old congregation Mayor of Scarborough, laying of the foundation stone of St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto. That was the first time the Copts in Canada collectively possessed land that they could call their own. They no longer felt foreign in a strange land; they became, in a true sense of the word, Coptic Canadians." It is a time-honoured truth that Egyptians are no migratory people; they have throughout their five-millenia-long history been tightly anchored to their land and beloved Nile. Moving out, even if within the boundaries of their land, constituted a painful uprooting and estrangement which time and again featured in their literature, folk songs, and traditions. As far back as some two millenia BC, Egyptians told the tale of Sinuhe who left Egypt and lived a brilliantly successful life, but whose soul found its peace only when he could return home, live his remaining days on Egypt’s soil, and have a proper burial there to prepare him for his afterlife. But modern times have brought on a lot of changes, not least being a boost in health care that led to population explosion. The land produce could no longer feed all the additional mouths, and the main activity of the population turned away from agriculture to industry or trade. The situation was compounded by the political and socialist policies applied by President Gamal Abdel-Nasser in 1960. The rural community that clung to its land was no more the same. Dream come true There’s a story worth telling about the land itself. For years, resources of St Mark’s in Canada were thinly stretched to cover the Church’s mission in North America. When finally it was time for the Parish of Toronto to build its own church, land prices had skyrocketed and all attempts to purchase land failed before the congregation’s inadequate financial resources. Fr Marcos says: "We were met with nothing but one frustration after the other. But the Copts’ faith never wavered. At long last, the miracle we awaited did occur and it was far beyond our expectations. Out of the blue—and I use the expression literally to mean ‘from Above’—a full acre of land was sold to the Church for one dollar. For Bill McClintock, the vendor, we were strangers and he took us in. We and our children for generations to come will be indebted to the McClintocks for their benevolence and genuine brotherly love. "Once we had the land, every member of the congregation, even the children, began doing something to make the dream of ‘our own church’ come true. The Building Committee met weekly until past midnight to work on the plans, the architect and I flew to Cairo to study Coptic Church architecture and meet specialists in this field. The Fund Raising Committee worked diligently to meet the financial demands of the project, and the Social and Cultural Activities Committee worked hand in hand with the Ladies Committee to organise bazaars, fairs, variety shows, outings, trips, movies, lectures and dinners to generate the needed funds. In less than a year we celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in our new church on Palm Sunday, 23 April 1978." Dispersed over a continent The first wave of Egyptian migration started in the 1960s, with thousands heading to North America and Australia, destinations that promised unlimited opportunity. Many among them were Copts, and the uprooting from homeland and mother Church was especially painful. North America is an extensive continent, and the first Coptic immigrants were dispersed all over the place. This augmented, spiritually and morally, the feeling of estrangement, and they reached out to their mother Church in Egypt to send over a priest to cater to their spiritual needs. In August 1964, Pope Kyrillos VI ordained Fr Marcos Marcos and commissioned him to serve the Coptic community in North America. November 1964 saw the establishment of St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church in North America, headquartered in Toronto which was then home to 36 Coptic families. They were mostly newcomer first generation immigrants, yet their strong faith, zeal and determination made it possible for the one priest to cater, on very limited financial means that came from donations alone, to the needs of Copts in North America. Regular monthly services were held in Montreal and New York, and less frequent visits and services were offered for the Copts scattered all over the continent, from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and from New York to California. The infant Church was able to gather its flocks in large centres and provide them with programmes, books, pamphlets, and other material for regular Bible study classes, spiritual meetings, Sunday Schools, social gatherings and other activities. Open full time It is important to note here that this particular building, St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox church, has a distinctive cultural value because it is built in authentic Coptic architectural style. It was the first to be built thus in North America. The church includes some stunningly beautiful icons written by the father of modern Egyptian iconography Isaac Fanous (1919 - 2007), and others jointly done by Youssef Nassif (1921 - 2013) and his wife Bedour Latif (1922 - 2012) who together created works of exceptional beauty that boasted, besides the characteristic Coptic art features, undertones of vivid Egyptian folklore. In the summer of 1991 the church was further blessed by the reception of the holy relics of some of its saints, and particularly those of our Patron Saint, St Mark the Apostle and Evangelist. Thus in both a literal and theological sense, the building houses the essence, doctrines, and dogma of the Coptic Church. Apart from the active spiritual service of Holy Mass, Sunday School, prayer meetings, Youth and Family gatherings, St Mark’s has a library, bookstore and audio-visual library and shop that offer a wide variety of material in both English and Arabic. The bazaars it holds include beautiful antiques, jewellery, handcrafts and collectors' items. Besides, national Egyptian foods, drinks, sweets and different preserves are sold and/or served. Coptic plays, variety shows and musicals are produced and acted by the church’s youthful members. Other activities include trips, retreats, conferences, and chartered flights to Egypt. The church holds regular classes to teach the Arabic and Coptic languages to both children and adults. The church is open every day and every night of the week. Flying priest Fr Marcos remembers the early days of the Church in North America. "As I think back about that period when I used to travel a great deal, I remember the congregations labelled me ‘the flying priest’, ‘now you see him, now you don’t’. "All during those formative years," he recalls, "we were trying hard to grow some roots in this continent, and depended heavily on the greatly needed and highly appreciated assistance of the clergy of the North American Churches. They most willingly allowed us the use of their churches, halls and other facilities for our services and different activities. As a matter of fact, they represent a non-erasable part of our history, proudly remembered and greatly cherished by the Copts of this generation and the generations to come." St Mark’s Church in Toronto was keen to establish parishes in the large centres of Canada and the US, appoint Boards of Deacons and various committees, and build local funds so that each parish would be able to support its own priest and services. By 1967, the parish of Montreal was financially strong enough to call for its own priest, and the late Father Rafael Nakhla was ordained and assigned to serve there in July 1967. The years 1969 and 1970 saw the establishment of St Mark’s Coptic Church in Los Angeles, California with the late Fr Bishoy Kamel as priest, and St Mark’s Coptic Church in Jersey City, New Jersey with the late Fr Gabriel Abdel-Sayed as priest. Today, the Church which started in Toronto in 1964 has multiplied to some 250 churches in the US and Canada, a monastery in California, a Papal Residency in Cedar Grove, N.J., and two Theological Seminaries in Jersey City, N.J. and Los Angeles, California. Reaching out A land of their own According to Fr Marcos, no history of the Church in Canada can be complete without citing the papal pastoral visits to Coptic Canadians. "The first, in 1977," he says, "marked the first visit ever by a Coptic Pope to North America and stands indeed among the most significant landmarks in the life of the Church here. The visit by Pope Shenouda III answered the Coptic Canadian longing for care by the top spiritual leader; many took time off to accompany His Holiness wherever he went. At the airport, he was received with Copts carrying welcome banners, children waving Church banners and the national flags of Canada and Egypt, and a procession of robed deacons singing hymns. Men and women were overcome with emotion; tears of joy flowed down their faces. "The visit culminated with His Holiness Pope Shenouda and His Worship Paul Cosgrove, Clockwise from above: St Mark’s, Toronto; Priests’ wives in Canada meet Pope; Mar-Mina’s , Hamilton; ordination of new priests; Canada PM Harper and Pope Tawadros; Coptic Canadian Center The concern of the Canadian Coptic Church does not stop at its local congregation but extends to the mother Church in Egypt. Among other endeavours, millions of dollars worth of medical equipment and supplies have been shipped to help furnish benevolent Church hospitals in urban and rural areas throughout Egypt. In the field of ecumenism, the Church is active with other Churches, denominations and organisations. It is a member of the Canadian Council of Churches, St Albany and St Sergios Fellowship and the Inter-Church Regional Planning Association, to mention but a few. "The Coptic Church in Canada," Fr Marcos fondly recalls, "came in very handy to the Canadian Government in 1967 when Haile Selassie I, the late Emperor of Ethiopia, paid an official visit to Canada. Sunday 30 April 1967 was Easter Day according to the Julian calendar, and His Imperial Majesty was scheduled to be at the Military Base in North Bay, Ontario. The Government knew that, especially on such days, His Majesty liked to attend church. So, to make it most meaningful for him as a Copt, the Canadian Government called St Mark’s Coptic Church in Toronto to celebrate a special Coptic Easter Liturgy at the Military Base Chapel for His Majesty and entourage of nineteen cabinet ministers and dignitaries. Before dawn, four deacons and myself were flown in a military airplane to the Base. After the service, His Imperial Majesty commented that that was the most pleasant surprise he had in Canada. ‘I never expected,’ he said, ‘in this part of the world, to be treated to an Easter Liturgy according to my own tradition’." Watani International.... Watani International.... Watani International.... Watani International....Watani International Editor-in-chief Youssef Sidhom International staff Executive editor Cairo staff Managing editor Editorial team Samia Sidhom Copy editor Jenny Jobbins Layout editor Heba Adel Christine Alphonse Dalia Victor Donia Wagdy Lydia Farid Nivert Rizkallah Sherine Nader Magdi Khalil (NY) Tel/Fax 443 292 8327 E-mail: [email protected] Editing advisor William El-Miry (NY) Contributing editor Mahfouz Doss (LA) Tel (1) 310 8263388, Fax (1) 310 8208480 E-mail: madoss@ worldnet.att.net Senior editors Saad Michael Saad, (Los Angeles) Contributing editor Adel Guindy (France) Fax (33) 147012600 E-mail: [email protected] Laila Shafik Farid (U.K) Contributing editor Subscriptions and Advertising Or pay by credit card Subscription rates for one year (52 issues): North America US$ 125 Europe, Africa US$ 110 Australia, Far East US$ 150 Kindly complete the form below, and send it along with your payment in US$ or equivalent, payable to Watani International 1627 New Windsor Ct., Crofton, MD 21114 Tel/Fax 443 292 8327 Name on the card: Card #: Expiry Date: Card Type: Master Card Visa American Express Address: Tel: Fax: Washington office: 1627 New Windsor CT., Crofton, MD 21114; Los Angeles office: P.O.Box 2442, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 $
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