Podcast Video - In a Special Interview, His Grace Anba Antonios: Breaking Down Barriers Between All Churches Is One of the Most Important MECC Roles

Egypt Is a Model for Coexistence!

Following his election as President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Eastern Orthodox Family in the Council’s twelfth General Assembly, His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, visited Lebanon, carrying in his heart the concerns of the children and Christians of the region, fully aware of their suffering due to the deepening economic, health and political crises.... that affected them.

His Grace Anba Antonios, faithful shepherd of the Word of God, clinging to his hope of building bridges between Churches and stressing on the necessity of bridging the distances between them, made a tour to the Churches of the East in Beirut, and had an Ecumenical visit to the headquarters of the MECC General Secretariat, as well as to Our Lady dispensary affiliated to MECC, in the Sabtieh region - Beirut. His Grace stressed on the need of overcoming obstacles between all the Church families.

What are the expectations of HG Anba Antonios? How does he describe the MECC Ecumenical role? How does the Coptic Orthodox Church work to meet with other Churches? And what is the role of the Church in accompanying youth? We asked all these and other questions to HG Anba Antonios, before he left Lebanon, in a special interview we made with him at St. Mary & St. Mark Church in the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Beirut.

Building Bridges, Standing Together

Firstly, as MECC President for the Eastern Orthodox Family and representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church, His Grace Anba Antonios expressed his happiness towards the social role of the Middle East Council of Churches, and said, “The MECC role is effective in alleviating the people’s suffering, especially amidst the difficult economic conditions they are passing through. But as I mentioned in the visit to the MECC headquarters, the Council’s role is also bigger, especially in the rapprochement between the Churches.”

He explained, "It is true that the Middle East Council of Churches provides many services to support the most vulnerable groups and contributes to the restoration of damaged Churches due to wars, but its biggest role lies in bridging the distances between Churches, specially that MECC is the only one capable of achieving this desired goal."

As for the Coptic Orthodox Church, His Grace highlighted its continuous work to meet with all the different Churches, saying that “the Coptic Church started its Theological dialogues with other Churches since the days of Pope Kyrillos VI, and consolidated this role with Pope Shenouda. Then the Church pursued its meetings with other Churches, with Pope Tawadros II. This is in addition to the establishment of committees in the Holy Synod specialized in organizing these meetings, such as a special committee for dialogue with the Greek Orthodox Church the Byzantine Church, and special committees for rapprochement and theological dialogues with the Catholic, Protestant and Anglican Churches...".

His Grace continued, "The church always seeks to build bridges between the other Churches, especially vis its program for dialogue that has existed since the sixties. But dialogues cannot be one-sided, so the role and direction of the Middle East Council of Churches lies in breaking down the barriers between all Churches."

His Grace indicated that "Our reference is the Holy Synod and the sayings of the Fathers since the early ages, where Ecumenical issues were agreed upon the Churches. Therefore, we rely on the sayings of the Fathers and the Holy Bible."

Step by Step, We Achieve Together the Desired Goals

We asked His Grace Anba Antonios about his point of view, ideas and future expectations for the role of the Coptic Church and the Eastern Churches in the Middle East Council of Churches, he answered, “As I mentioned before, we find many points of difference between the Churches and we cannot discuss them at the same time. Thus, we have to start working on one of the points so that we can continue discussing the other points. It is important for each Church to prepare a research paper in which it presents its historical data and beliefs regarding each point which is being studied.”

He added, "For example, the Churches don’t celebrate Resurrection on the same date. It is worth mentioning here that the first Ecumenical Council, which included representatives of various Churches, studied the frameworks for setting a specific date for the Resurrection. Hence, in order to change the date of Easter, we must discuss all the points that differ us and discuss each one alone, so we can conclude the causes of disagreement between us.”

From here, Anba Antonios returned to the MECC role and said, "It is true that since its establishment, MECC has sought to alleviate the people’s suffering amidst all the hardships and economic crises they are passing through, and thus via various social services. However, the Council has another essential role that lies in embodying what Our Lord Jesus Christ wanted, so the Church may be one. Therefore, the MECC mission lies in working on many steps through building bridges and communicating with each other. We need to start working and step by step we can achieve the desired goals.”

The Church Is a Safe Shelter for Youth

Amidst all the living conditions and the Church's attempts to accompany the faithful, youth are living many challenges as they face an uncertain future. Therefore, the Coptic Orthodox Church seeks to alleviate their despair through various activities it implements under the guidance and blessing of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. In this context, we asked His Grace Anba Antonios, how can you convince youth to hold onto their land and remain in this region despite all the difficulties?

He answered, "We have to be practical. Today, youth suffer from difficulty in finding job opportunities that embrace and empower them. Therefore, the Church is working to establish training centers and courses for teaching crafts and industries that may allow them to start small projects in societies. The Church is also seeking to establish hospitals that may provide new job opportunities."

He explained, "The church is trying to create job opportunities for its children and invest in their energies so they can benefit societies by teaching them different crafts such as plumbing, sewing and carpentry... This is how the Church facilitates the way for youth through schools and training workshops aiming at helping them move forward."

He continued, "The church makes many efforts to serve and take care of youth practically and spiritually. On the one hand, the Church has established an Episcopal committee that seeks to accompany and serve youth at many levels. This is in addition to the conferences it organizes in order to bridge the distances between all the Coptic youth. As for the spiritual side, the Church holds many meetings and sessions, including sessions for those who are preparing to get married or, for example, other sessions for the newlyweds...".

Egypt Is a Model for Coexistence

On the other hand, it is important to note that the Arab Republic of Egypt is considered an oasis of various civilizations, beliefs and religions. How does HG Anba Antonios describe today the good relations between the Coptic Orthodox Church and His Eminence Sheikh Al-Azhar and our Muslim sisters and brothers in his diocese and the region?

His Grace explained that "the nature of relations between Muslims and Christians in Egypt and the nature of relations between Pope Tawadros II and Sheikh Al-Azhar is very good aiming at building a better society. All our friends, sisters and brothers are Muslims, especially in school, university and workplace, and we still have great relationships with them. We grew up in Egypt in an environment that strengthen human ties between everyone. We grew up in a society that seeks to break down the differences between the religions. As for the Egyptians who leave Egypt, they follow this path wherever they are and treat everyone equally and with love."

“In official meetings and celebrations, we see Pope Tawadros II alongside Sheikh of Al-Azhar and the Church alongside the Mosque. Greetings are exchanged between both sides on all occasions,” His Grace continued, and affirmed that “through our strong social relations, we always communicate with each other with absence of boundaries or separations. Therefore, Egypt is a model for coexistence, hoping that this scenario may be also present in all countries.”

At the end, His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, and MECC President for the Eastern Orthodox Family, wished “the council a continuous creativity in its long journey in bridging distances and making point of views closer between everyone. I wish MECC growth, prosperity and success in embodying the image of Christ to everyone.”

He concluded, "We have to see God's wisdom in everything. God uses Church organizations to shed lights on a problem and suffering. We hope that MECC thought reaches all people, especially with the important role it plays in serving people in the East. May the Lord help you and accompany you always wishing you continuous success."

Communication and Public Relations Department