Egypt, our homeland,lives always and forever in the heart of every Egyptian, particularly, it is an integral part of the heart of the Coptic Orthodox Church, as she prays for all its leaders and its people, its entrances and exits, its land and its river, its crops and its fruits, and also its peace and prosperity. Patriotism has appeared throughout the history of the Church, flowing in the blood of its father patriarchs. History can never disregard the refusal of Pope Boutros Al-Jawli to let the Egyptian Christians be under the protection of Russia’s Tsar, saying: “You live under the auspices of a mortal king, but we, the Copts, live under the protection of a forever immortal King”. Muhammad Ali, the ruler of Egypt then, thanked him for his stance, but he replied: “No thanks needed! It is my duty towards my country”. Moreover, Pope Kyrillos IV is remembered for fulfilling the request of Saeed Pasha to travel to Abyssinia to settle a dispute between its government and the Egyptian government and solve the problem. Also, Pope Kyrillos V, unforgettably, refused the British High Commissioner offer to protect the Copts of Egypt, saying: “We, the Copts, will not seek protection save from God and the throne of Egypt.”
Today, we commemorate the enthronement of the reposed Pope Shenouda III on 11/14/1971, as well as the commemoration of the enthronement of His HolinessPope Tawadros II on 11/18/2012. I find Egypt, the homeland,settling in the heart of each of them, a patriotic song engraved on the pages of history.
Egypt settled in the depths of Pope Shenouda’sheart, as he said: “Egypt is not just a homeland that we live in, but rather a homeland that lives in us”. History keeps several stances which reflect His Holiness’ preoccupation with the country’s issues and concerns; he gave a number of lectures during the critical phases his country went through, including: “Israel in the Eyes of Christianity” at the Journalists Syndicate in 1966, “Christianity and Israel” in 1971, and “Jerusalem, the City of Peace” at the League of Arab States in 1995. Pope Shenouda III also wrote patriotic articles about the armed forces in their war with the colonialists, including: “We Defend our Lands,” “In Defense of the Truth”, “The Land of Sinai: A Cemetery for the Israelis”, and “The Zionists are Enemies of Christianity”. His Holiness is also remembered for visiting the battle front several times before and after the October War, providing moral and political support. He also called for a popular conference to honor a number of Muslim officers and soldiers of the October War, participated in a session honoring its heroes in the Parliament, and visited the wounded in hospitals.
Pope Shenouda III founded Coptic churches abroad, visited them in order to link the Egyptians to their homeland and urge them to support the country by all means. His Holiness frequently declared that he rejects any foreign interventions that call for the protection of the Copts of Egypt, as he said at the international press conference in 1992: “Officially, wereject any foreign interference in our internal affairs, and the Egyptian Copts reject any foreign interference, so if a country intervened on its own, so we will not accept its interference.”
Pope Shenouda III’s love for Egypt is greatly embodied in his poetry:
“I made you, Egypt, in my soul fixed
I adore you Egypt, in my deepest fondness
When I am away for a while,
My heart melts with nostalgia, suffering remoteness”
Followed the homeland loving heartbeats of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II- may he have a long life, as he said: “A homeland without churches is better than churches without a homeland”, in the aftermath of several fiery attacks on several churches, following the dispersal of Rabaa and Al-Nahda sit-ins, stressing that the Church is a part of the homeland. During meetings abroad, His Holiness confirmed that Egypt’s affairs are progressing and improving. In a meeting with a delegation from the American Congress, His Holiness said: “Having our churches burnt is a partial price we incur, patiently and lovingly, to our country”.“If the churches are burnt, we will pray with the Muslims in their mosques, and if the mosques got burnt, we will both pray in the streets!”
Pope Tawadros II called the churches abroad to show the truth of the June 30 Revolution, 2013 as a people’s revolution supported by its mighty army. His Holiness preserved the unified national fabric in a number of difficult situations like bombings of Al-Botrosya Church, Saint Mark Cathedral in Alexandria and the Cathedral of Saint George in Tanta, as His Holiness affirmed the Egyptian Church’s stand by the state, its army and its security men in countering that terrorism that seeks to destroy it.
Pope Tawadros II’s patriotic stances are crowned by his stance in Jerusalem case; the Coptic Orthodox Church issued a statement in 2017, rejecting the declaration of Jerusalem as capital of Israel and the transfer of the American embassy to Jerusalem, in solidarity with the people of the country, affirming that these two decisions will only lead to destabilizing peace in the Middle East and the world. The Coptic Orthodox Church apologized for not receiving US Vice President Mike Pence at the time during his visit to Egypt.
Regarding the bright future waiting for the country through the New Republic”, Pope Tawadros II always declares the Church’s fully supporting stance for projects of growth and progress, for a better future for all Egyptians, saying: “All the Egyptiansare working to build modern Egypt”. And… Stories about beautiful Egypt never end!
The General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
