tvc.dsj.org | May 9, 2017
IN THE CHURCH
11
Pope, Coptic Patriarch Honor Martyrs, Urge Unity for Peace
By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
CAIRO – Placing flowers, lighting
a candle and praying at the site where
dozens of Coptic Orthodox Christians
were killed by an Islamic State militant
last year, Pope Francis and Coptic Or-
thodox Pope Tawadros II paid homage
to those who were killed for their faith.
Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros
walked in a short procession to the
Church of Saint Peter, where 29 people
died and 31 were wounded Dec. 11. The
faithful chanted a song of martyrs, and
some clashed cymbals under the dark-
ened evening sky.
Inside the small church, the leaders
of several other Christian communities
in Egypt as well as Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew of Constantinople sat be-
fore the congregation, which included
family members of the victims.
A portion of one wall of the complex
was splattered with blood, and pictures
of those killed – many with bright
smiles to the camera – were hung above.
Some of the church’s stone columns
were pock-marked from the debris or
shrapnel sent flying from the explosion.
Each of the eight Christian leaders
seated before the congregation, begin-
ning with Pope Francis, read a verse
from the Beatitudes in the Gospel of St.
Matthew. Pope Francis and Pope Tawad-
ros then each said a few words in prayer,
and everyone shared a sign of peace.
Led by Pope Francis, the eight leaders
went to the back of the church, where
each lit a small candle and placed white
flowers beneath the photos of the mar-
tyrs. Pope Francis leaned low to touch
Pope Francis is pictured with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II in Cairo April 28. The pope was
making a two-day visit to Egypt. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
the blood-stained wall and made the
sign of the cross.
Earlier, in a historic and significant
move toward greater Christian unity,
Pope Tawadros and Pope Francis signed
an agreement to end a longtime dis-
agreement between the two churches
over the sacrament of baptism.
The Coptic Orthodox Church had
required new members joining from
most non-Coptic churches – including
those who had previously been baptized
as Catholic – to be baptized again.
The Catholic Church recognizes all
Christian baptisms performed with
water and in “the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit.” Orthodox who
enter the Catholic Church are received
as full members, but not baptized again.
In the joint declaration, the two lead-
ers “mutually declare that we, with one
mind and heart, will seek sincerely not
to repeat the baptism that has been ad-
ministered in either of our churches for
any person who wishes to join the other.”
The document was signed during a
courtesy visit with Pope Tawadros at
the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral April 28.
In his speech to Pope Tawadros and
other Coptic Orthodox leaders, Pope
Francis said, “The innocent blood of de-
fenseless Christians was cruelly shed.”
He told them it was that innocent blood
“that united us.”
He encouraged Catholic and Ortho-
dox to work hard to “oppose violence
by preaching and sowing goodness,
fostering concord and preserving unity,
praying that all these sacrifices may
open the way to a future of full com-
munion between us and peace for all.”
Pope Tawadros, in his speech, said
Pope Francis was following in the foot-
steps of his namesake, St. Francis of
Assisi, who came to Egypt nearly 1,000
years ago to meet Sultan al-Kamel and
engage in “one of the most important
experiences of intercultural dialogue
in history – a dialogue that is renewed
today with your visit.”
Calling Pope Francis one of the sym-
bols of peace “in a world tormented by
conflicts and wars,” the Orthodox leader
underlined that the world was thirsting
for sincere efforts of spreading peace
and love, and stopping violence and
extremism.
Pope Tawadros said Pope Francis’
visit “is a message for the rest of the
world,” showing Egypt as a model of
mutual respect and understanding.
Despite Christianity’s deep roots in
Egypt, which was evangelized by Saint
Mark, Christians have lived through
some difficult and turbulent periods,
he said. But that only made people’s
desire to love even greater, showing that
“love and tolerance are stronger than
hatred and revenge and that the light
of hope is stronger than the darkness
of desperation.”
“The criminal minds” behind all
the violence and threats hurting Egypt
will never be able to break or weaken
the hearts of its citizens who are united
and showing an example for future
generations.
Later in the evening, Pope Francis
was scheduled to go to the apostolic
nunciature, where he was staying, and
greet a group of children who attend a
Comboni-run school in Cairo. After din-
ner, he was expected to greet some 300
young people who came from outside
Cairo to see him.
The majority of the 82.5 million
Egyptians are Sunni Muslims. Most
estimates say 10-15 percent of the Egyp-
tian population are Christians, most
of them Coptic Orthodox, but there
are Catholics, Protestants and other
various Christian communities in the
country as well.