Situation slowly improving for Egyptian Christians
The Copts of Egypt have gone through intensive persecution over the centuries. ACN spoke with Coptic Catholic Bishop Kyrillos Samaan of Assiut about the situation in Egypt and ecumenical relations between the Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt.
By ACN Staff
Bishop Daniel Lotfy Khella and Bishop Kyrillos Kamal William Samaan of the Coptic Catholic Church celebrate Holy Mass. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
Coptic Christians have suffered much persecution over the centuries. Just earlier this year, a 62-year-old Coptic Christian man named Nabil El-Habashy, a father and grandfather, was martyred by one of ISIS’s proxies in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Nabil El-Habashy had been martyred for helping to establish a Coptic Orthodox church on the Sinai Peninsula. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) spoke with Coptic Catholic Bishop Kyrillos Samaan of Assiut about the situation in Egypt and ecumenical relations between the Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt.
Bishof Kyrillos Samaan visiting Switzerland. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)\
The bishop explains that the situation in Egypt for Christians has improved somewhat over the last decade. Pope Francis is well respected by many Egyptian Muslims, who regard the Roman Pontiff as an honest advocate for peace in the Middle East without a political agenda. More radical Islamic movements in Egypt, such as the Salafis and the Muslim Brother, are less prominent than they were 8 or 9 years ago. Bishop Kyrillos Samaan explains further:
“For example, little is heard about the Salafis. They were very vocal in 2012/2013 during the presidency of Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Now they have become isolated in the country. Most of the population has become more tolerant of non-Muslims.”
Issues remain for Egypt’s Christians. The murder of Nabil El-Habashy in Sinai for example but also the kidnapping of Christian girls in Upper Egypt. The bishop recognised that these problems still exist, but they are far less frequent than they were previously and the government is taking proactive actions to protect Christians. There have also been other improvements in the government’s treatment of Christians outside the security situation. For example, since 2017 the government has given licenses to just under 2,000 previously unlicensed churches. These licenses give church buildings much needed legal recognition and protection.
The bishop is positive on these develops but there are some issues with the rate of the progress:
“I read that about fifty per cent of the church buildings in Egypt have in the meantime been legalised. However, things here in Assiut are moving forward very slowly. The process is very complicated.”
The Coptic Catholic bishop explains what is needed to register a church for a license:
“You have to be able to prove undisputed ownership of the land on which the church was built. The second is the submission of a plan of the building prepared by a registered architect. There are also special safety requirements.”
Assiut, Egypt. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
Despite these limitations, this represents an improvement for Christians and is a positive development. Bishop Kyrillos Samaan and other Egyptian Christians are realistic about their expectations and understand change will be slow and there will be those who will continue to regard Egyptian Christians are second-class citizens of Egypt. Christians continue to face discrimination in many sectors of society, including in education, the civil service, and the military.
Pope Francis enjoys a very close and warm relationship with the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria Tawadros II. Pope Tawadros has been a strong advocate for greater unity between the Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church. One area of agreement between Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros has been on the issue of re-baptism. The Catholic Church recognises baptisms carried out by the Coptic Orhtodox Church as valid, and will not “re-baptise” Orthodox Copts who join the Coptic Catholic Church. Pope Tawadros has agreed that the Coptic Orthodox Church should likewise not “re-baptise” Catholics who may join the Coptic Orthodox Church. This is important as the Alexandrian Pope recognises that the Coptic Church and the Catholic Church share one baptism. This is a vital first step for any further unity between the two Churches.
Bishop Kyrillos Samaan celebrates Holy Mass in Switzerland. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
Bishop Kyrillos Samaan explains that Pope Tawadros needs to convince the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church in order to halt all “re-baptisms”. Some Orthodox Coptic bishops are skeptical of closer relationships with the Catholic Church, so the Coptic Pope will need to persuade them in order to avoid disunity in the Coptic Orthodox Church over this issue. There has been some resistance. A resolution drafted and negotiated by Abbot Epiphanios of the Monastery of St. Macarius, who has sadly passed away, was halted last minute. The resolution had expressed an imminent recognition of Catholic baptisms but was changed last minute to a pledge to make an effort to change Coptic practices on the matter.
Bishops Kyrillos Samaan has cautioned patience on the issue. When asked if he thought Coptic Orthodox recognition of Catholic baptisms would happen soon, he said:
“No, this will take a great deal of time. What was sown for forty years under Pope Shenouda cannot be undone in a few years. But Tawadros is a patient man.”
Please join us in prayer that there will soon be greater unity between Catholics and Coptic Orthodox Christians, and that the recent improvements seen by Egyptian Christians may continue.