Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

‘We came here today to satisfy our soul for its need of beauty.’ With these words Azhar Sheikh Muhammad Jamī’ addressed the crowd at the Caravan Festival of Arts, hosted by St. John the Baptist Church in Maadi, Egypt.

Acting patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church Bishop Pachomius led the Easter Mass as a portrait of late Pope Shenouda III was placed in front of the altar. [Ashraf Sādiq, al-Ahrām, April 16, p. 6] Read original text in Arabic

Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III is often praised, in particular by his own followers, for his ecumenical stances. The reality is, however, somewhat different, as the decisions of the Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod show. All synod meetings were presided over by Pope Shenouda, a strong and charismatic leader, who has often selected bishops on the basis of their loyalty to him (see for example John Watson’s “Among the Copts.”). The decisions in the Synod therefore strongly represent Pope Shenouda’s own positions, which show a strong defensive approach to perceived intrusions from Christian denominations, in particular Protestants, with different views from those of the Coptic Orthodox. The Catholics have made strong efforts for dialogue, but on issues such as on the purgatory, the immaculate conception of the Holy Virgin and the place of the church of Rome in the early church the two churches could not come to an agreement.

 AWR obtained the original text of the Azhar documents for Freedom. Please find it below.

Journalist Sanā' Sa'īd interviewed Dr. Ahmad al-Tayīb, Azhar's Grand Shaykh, who, commenting on the protests, said that civil disobedience sometimes can wreak havoc to the nation as a whole.

Sa'īd asked him how to activate the Azhar's document and stress the right Islam, al-Tayīb said that this document was issued after several meetings with the elite in different social, cultural and media fields and hearing all point of views.

Tayīb expressed his pleasure that the Cabinet adopted this document and decided to consider it one of the political documents because by this, the document will have a political dimension.

George Carey, a member of the House of Lords and Former Archbishop of Canterbury, is due to meet Grand Shaykh of the Azhar, Dr. Ahmad al-Tayīb, and Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III to discuss ways to support dialogue among the religious institutions in both Egypt and the West.

Read original text in Arabic

In the Azhar initiative to have a dialogue with thinkers, Shaykh Ahmad al-Tayīb, Grand Shaykh of the Azhar, continued his third meeting with thinkers and intellectuals.

In the meeting they discussed the relation between the state and religion and criminalizing sedition-mongering.

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 The author illustrates how Egyptian awareness was affected badly by "Talk Show" programs and this is evident in the bad style of dialogue in Egypt

Coptic Pope Shenouda III met with the Minister of Local Development Muhsin al-Nu'māni in Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in al-‘Abāsiyah on March 28, 2011.

The Coptic Pope said that they discussed having a community dialogue between all religious main-streams: the church, the Azhar, salafists, and public figures as means to communicate in order to serve the country. 

(Reviewer's Note: News story was also covered by al-Dustūr, page 3, March 29, 2011; and al-Wafd, page 3, March 29, 2011)

Read original text in Arabic in al-Misrī al-Yawm

Read original text in Arabic in al-Wafd

Copts Pope Shenouda III said that he did not talk about politics with the Muslim Brotherhood's Murshid [Guide].

MB's Murshid, Muhammad Badī' had called Pope Shenouda to reassure on his health after the Pope's health trip to the United States of America. 

Sources from the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral denied that the church will coordinate with the MB in the coming period,  confirming, that whoever from the Coptic institutions had accepted a dialogue with the MB  has nothing to do with the church.