Al-Ahram Weekly
2 - 8 March 2000
Issue No. 471
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A tale of two popes

By Mariz Tadros

The relationship between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church is as complex as it is intriguing. Pope John Paul's visit has brought to the forefront the question of to what extent have the two churches succeeded in resolving their differences.

Many Copts and non-Copts alike did not know how to interpret the conspicuous absence of Pope Shenouda III, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, from the airport welcoming ceremony, although President Hosni Mubarak and the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Grand Imam Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, went there to greet John Paul.

People were wondering whether this was a sign of a strained relationship between the two Popes. The whispers and rumours intensified when it was noticed that the Coptic Pope was also not present at the mass on Friday. Both Coptic Orthodox Church and Catholic Church officials are very much surprised by this tattle, which, they emphasise, is unfounded.

Anba Moussa, the Coptic Bishop of Youth Affairs, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Pope Shenouda did not go to the airport, "because he was not supposed to. Popes are not supposed to meet each other at airports; this is the religious [as opposed to the political] protocol. When Pope Shenouda visited the Vatican in 1973, the Bishop of Rome did not go to the airport to meet him. This is not tit- for-tat on the part of our Pope. It is just not expected of him".

As for Pope Shenouda's absence from the mass last Friday, Anba Moussa explained that, while the dialogue for unification is still proceeding, the ritual of the Coptic mass is very different from that of the Catholic mass.

The bishop added that the Coptic-Catholic dialogue on unification was not raised by either Pope when they met at the Coptic Cathedral. However, he believes that significant progress has been made through the dialogue that first opened in 1971 between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He also thinks there is a general agreement that the differences concern rituals and doctrines, rather than faith. The dialogue ground to a halt in the early 1990s "due to some difficulties", disclosed Anba Moussa, but there is great optimism that it will be resumed in the near future. "On the whole, relations are much better than before and, during Pope John Paul's visit to Egypt, a spirit of love prevailed between the two Popes, which lays an excellent foundation for the dialogue on unification."

Bishop Yohanna Golta, Auxiliar to the Coptic Catholic Patriarch, told Al-Ahram Weekly that there was no reason for Catholics or anyone else to be offended by Pope Shenouda's absence from the airport ceremony, because he was following the generally agreed protocol. "We respect that, and it has no bearing on the relationship between the two churches," he stressed.

Bishop Golta believes that the nature of the division between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is cultural, rather than ideological or political. "It is primarily a difference between the Eastern and Western civilizations, but not a difference of creed."

Until the fourth century, there was one apostolic Christian church united by one faith. However, a great schism occurred at the Fourth Ecumenical Council which took place at Chalcedon in AD 451. The division focused on the nature of Christ, "which has been the major theological issue between the Roman Catholic and Coptic Churches."

However, Bishop Golta elatedly said that this problem "which could not be solved for more than 1,500 years was resolved in 1988, at the Wadi Al-Natroun monastery, where an agreement was reached and signed by both parties". Much of the differences that remain between the two churches tend to be on rituals and rites, he opined.

However, Joseph Faltas, head of the ecumenical studies unit at the Coptic Centre for Social Studies and a prominent theologian in the Coptic Orthodox Church, concedes that there are still major unresolved theological differences, that have implications on the everyday lives of Copts as well as Catholics. He believes that these differences cannot be regarded as only examples of the clash of cultures, because this would downplay their gravity.

Apart from the Christological problem posed by the Council at Chalcedon, explained Faltas, another great schism occurred in the year 1054 over the Holy Spirit. While Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, the Orthodox believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father only.

Other differences include the Catholic belief in purgatory, (the purification of the soul after death, before going to heaven) which is not shared by the Orthodox. The Orthodox also do not subscribe to the Catholics' belief in the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ, meaning that Mary was born without sin. A major difference also centres over the belief in the primacy of St Peter over the other apostles and, as a consequence, the primacy of the Roman Catholic Pope over other popes. The Orthodox believe that Christ gave his 12 apostles equal status.

Faltas concedes that an agreement was reached concerning the Christological problem, but argues that it is not enough for the reunion of the two churches. Rites and rituals, points out Faltas, are an integral part of the Coptic Orthodox Church's heritage.

The reasons for the discontinuation of the dialogue in the early 1990s are ambiguous. The Coptic Orthodox officials did not disclose the reasons. The Catholic viewpoint, as explained by Bishop Golta, is that the dialogue was advancing at a pace considered too fast by some. Moreover, "the political climate then was not conducive [to progress]," he said.

Bishop Golta describes the leadership of a unified Christian Church as a major issue. But the principle that the Catholic Pope is the "first among equals" has to be respected, he said. This does not mean that any other Pope is less than him, but that the Roman Catholic Pope takes precedence in leadership. If we are to take the spirit of the Bible, that the leader must be the servant, then precedence does not mean domination, it just means the first in rank among other Popes who are equal in glory and in status, but he is like a big brother. Bishop Golta believes that the issue of papacy requires a tremendous amount of humility on the part of all church leaders.

Samir Morcos, associate secretary-general of the Middle East Council of Churches, agrees with Bishop Golta that leadership is a major problem. "The Coptic Orthodox Church believes itself to be equal in footing to the Roman Catholic Church. The Coptic Orthodox Church believes that its papal leadership is equal to the papal leadership in the Vatican."

Morcos suggests that the Coptic Orthodox Church strongly feels that it is the national church of Egypt. "The visit of the Pope of the Vatican to Egypt or to any other country where old national churches were established, such as Greece, Russia and Egypt, is very different from his visit to churches in Africa or Latin America, for example, where Christianity was introduced through missionary work. Because in Middle Eastern countries, such as Egypt, there are historical national churches," he explained.

The nationalistic stances which the Orthodox Church takes are politically at odds with those of the Vatican, for instance the former's position on an Arab Jerusalem; a Jerusalem which the Orthodox Christians will not enter except with their Muslim and Palestinian brothers. This undoubtedly influences the possibility of unification of the two churches.

"Also, the Coptic Orthodox Church's misgivings about the Roman Catholic Church's missionary work in the 19th and early 20th century has had an impact on the Coptic Orthodox-Catholic dialogue", reasoned Morcos. He explained that the Coptic Orthodox Church saw it as a form of cultural invasion aimed at proselytising.

Bishop Golta rejected the term "cultural invasion". "It was not supposed to be a cultural invasion or spiritual conquest; of course we cannot deny that politics must have been involved, because everything is political, but we cannot judge them according to our current perspectives on history. They reflected the thinking of the time, and of the Western countries they came from."

He conceded that the establishment of missionary bases did intensify the rift between the West and East, when Rome sought to gather all Christians under its leadership, However, he insists that this is definitely not the Catholic Church's current position. "The Roman Catholic church's stand now is to strengthen the Coptic Orthodox Church, to help its rejuvenation."

Despite Bishop Golta's emphasis on the era of proselytising being over, some high-ranking members of the Coptic Orthodox Church, who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly on an anonymous basis, feel that they have reason to believe that Catholic proselytising in Egypt is not entirely over, and that is what really impacts on the will to engage in unification dialogues.

Morcos' personal opinion on the prospects of reunification in the near future are glum "because at the moment relations are very complex". However, the Middle East Council of Churches has initiated a series of dialogues to narrow the gap, "but results have been slow; evidence of this is that we have failed to agree on a unified date to celebrate Easter, which is easier than agreeing on a unified date for Christmas".

Bishop Golta and Bishop Moussa are both optimistic about the resumption of the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue in the near future. "Christ's will is to have one unified church, and that will be at some point achieved through the power of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of the saints," concluded Bishop Golta.

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