Egypt an Authentic Example of Human Fraternity
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Lebanon Father Timon Al-Suriani: Love, acceptance of others, and coexistence were not words written in books and treaties, but vivid prints stamped by history on the forehead of the country…
It is true that wars and conflicts have dominated and burdened the Middle East, but a glimmer of hope for a better tomorrow is evident in several situations. In Egypt, citizens have experienced fraternal and human coexistence between Christians and Muslims for several decades now. This was the highlight of the dialogue of the head of the Coptic Church in Lebanon, Father Timon al-Suriani in an interview with the Communication and Public Relations Department in the Middle East Council of Churches.
Based on the Document of Human Fraternity that stresses on the belief in one God, Creator of all, and by inviting the faithful to express human fraternity by caring for the living, His creation, and the elements of the universe and by inviting them to help the needy and the weak ... Father Timon Al-Suriani indicated that he lived more than half a century in Egypt. He says: “It’s a unique example of the strong Coptic life through its authentic Coptic Pharaonic heritage, when Islam was introduced and we witnessed the brotherhood of an Islamic Coptic Egypt ever since the seventh century AD.”
Father Timon continued, stressing on these fixed features recorded in the history of Egypt, such as coexistence and peaceful human fraternity between Copts and Muslims. He added: "Love, acceptance of others, and coexistence were not words written in books and treaties, but vivid prints stamped by history on the forehead of the country with martyrs’ blood and melodies and prayers echoed in All the churches, as minarets witnessed its prayer to the one God whom we all worship.
According to Father Timon, neither religious terrorism nor political Islam groups succeeded to shake the den of lion of Saint Mark the Apostle, the founder of the Coptic Church. We got through all the fight of the enemy and his filthy soldiers with love, faith and brotherhood to present a true altar to God, He who loves equally, He who sacrifices without fail and He who lives in brotherhood... so Coptic Egypt would keep shining in history ever since Jesus Christ and his holy family lived there at the beginning of the New Testament to revive the prophecy of the Old Testament, "From Egypt, I called my son.”
Al-Syriani explained that most of the headings of shared values of fraternity work included in the document, such as freedom, justice, mercy, morals, good family education, and the non-use of religion to spread hatred, violence, extremism, and the protection of places of worship ... need true faith and pure practice in which the governments of countries that include mixed societies cooperate. “The responsibility of changing people's lives is no longer a religious goal, but rather the teaching of schools, universities, families, media, cultures and all elements of society…”.
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and His Eminence The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb. Source: State Information Service, Your Gateway to Egypt
As for Egypt, it was and will remain, according to Father Timon, a unique example of the ideologies in the document. The country worked on them and demonstrated the success of their application throughout its history, to overcome all the crises it faced through the decades... Egypt, with its Egyptian Coptic example, witnessed a victory over evil, hostility, killing and destruction many countries and groups wanted to export to our country, but God granted us a great Egyptian president who believes and fears God and loves Egypt and its people, a conscious father and a distinguished Patriarch of the Copts in Egypt and abroad, who seek to build a promising and healthy future for Egypt and the new generations.”
At the end of his speech, Father Timon gave an example of this brotherhood and coexistence, recalling the visit of the Head of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Vatican, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri to Cairo, Egypt in March 2019. Archbishop of the Coptic Catholic Diocese of Assiut Anba Kyrollos William declared at the end of the visit: “the existence of 3 men at the head of the religious institutions in the world: His Holiness Pope Francis in the Vatican, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II in the Seat of Mark of the Coptic Church, and Imam Ahmed Al-Tayyeb in Al-Azhar Mosque ... encourages true love dialogues, especially with President Sisi in Egypt who succeeded in developing a peaceful coexistence.”
Communication and Public Relations Department