Dialogue with Evangelicals

In the meeting on 17/06/1989

Following the decisions of the Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Churches held in Canterbury in 1988, the Holy Synod decided to denounce the decisions of this conference regarding the ordination of women in the priesthood, polygamy in Africa, and the defence of homosexual rights.

The Synod decided to authorise His Holiness the Pope to submit a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding the decisions of the 1988 Lambeth Conference, and to issue disapproval statements, and books on behalf of the Holy Synod responding to these false teachings in foreign languages and distributed abroad.

In the meeting on 02/06/2001

Regarding the request of the Evangelical Church to raise the dialogue to an official committee, and to present the matter to the Holy Synod, and based on what was stated in the joint statement of the heads of the Eastern Orthodox Churches in the Middle East, His Holiness recommended that the Pope conduct a frank dialogue with them that includes all doctrinal and ecclesiastical disputes including their ordination of the woman to the priesthood and many other contentious matters, and he agreed to raise the dialogue to an official committee, provided that a joint committee would prepare an agenda and the way to conduct this dialogue.

In the meeting on 22/06/2002

HG Bishop Bishoy presented to the members of the Holy Synod that the preparatory committee for dialogue between the Eastern Orthodox Churches in the Middle East and between the Evangelical Churches had been held in Midhurst, England, between 27-30 July 2001, and set an action plan and agenda for the joint committee for theological dialogue. The agendas of the Synod have been attached to the agendas approved by this committee, and it includes all the important points and serious disputes on which dialogue is required with the Evangelical Churches. In the discussion, the issue of Christology (the nature of Christ) was taken into account, in addition to what was previously issued for Anglican Churches (Lambeth Conference). There are many decisions about accepting the Christology of the Assyrian Churches, which we reject, and we have many sources.

In the meeting on 14/06/2003

The Christological Agreement on the nature of Christ with the Anglicans was accepted with an emphasis on what was contained therein regarding the Assyrian Churches, their Nestorian doctrines, their beatification and their sanctification to the people of Nestorius, Theophoro of Mopsuestia, and Diodor of Tarsus, and following their Nestorian teachings.

It was necessary that the word "of" in the English text in paragraph 6, line 4, page 4, be modified to the word "in" to make the phrase: "the unity in the person of Christ", and that prevented confusion in the interpretation of the meaning of unity, as it is a unity between two natures in one person and not a unity of two persons, according to what is clearly stated in the same agreement."

The second dialogue session, God willing, will take place in England, from 29 October to 2 November 2003. (Footnote: These meetings were postponed for dialogue with the evangelicals due to the ordination of a homosexual bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in New Hampshire. The Holy Synod discussed the ordination in an emergency session on 29 May 2004)

In the meeting on 29/05/2004

The Holy Synod decided to issue a statement rejecting homosexuals in the priesthood and refusing to marry them, according to the Bible's teaching in the Old and New Testament. Accordingly, the Holy Synod met in an emergency session that had been called by His Holiness, Pope Shenouda III, at the Papal residence, St. Rewis, in Cairo, on Wednesday 03/09/2003, to issue an official statement, protesting against the election of a homosexual priest, to be bishop of the Anglican Church in New Hampshire, United States of America, and a declaration of our rejection of homosexual marriage, based on Biblical teachings of the Old and New Testament.

The Holy Synod issued the attached statement Appendix No. 15-Ain both Arabic and English, signed by His Holiness the Pope, and from the Secretary of the Holy Synod, and distributed to newspapers and news agencies. It was already widely published and broadcasted.

The Ecclesiastical Relations Committee also offered that the Pope had invited the Heads of Churches in Egypt to a meeting to issue a joint statement, rejecting homosexuality and homosexual marriage. This was done at the Papal Residence, St. Rewis, in Cairo on 8 September 2003, and they issued a similar statement, signed by the attendees Appendix No. 15-Band it was widely published and broadcast.

In the meeting on 26/05/2007

The Holy Synod was informed that the international dialogue between the Eastern Orthodox family and the Anglicans had been interrupted due to the ordination of homosexual bishop, Jean Robinson, on 2 November 2003 in the state of New Hampshire in the United States of America in the Episcopal Church there.

This ordination created a severe division among the Anglican Churches, especially the strong opposition to them in the Anglican Churches in the Southern Hemisphere. Recently, a meeting of heads of all Anglican churches took place in Dar el Salaam, Tanzania, on 19/02/2007. This meeting issued a warning statement to the United States Churches to determine their position on the ordination of homosexual bishops and the blessing of homosexual marriage no later than 30 September 2007.

In the meeting of the heads of our three churches in Syria, 19-21 April 2007, His Holiness decided that discussing the possibility of continuing the dialogue depends on meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury and answering our questions regarding the Dar el Salaam statement.

In the meeting on 22/05/2010

The following was presented:

A split occurred in the Anglican Churches group due to the ordination of homosexual men in the priesthood in the United States of America (even to the level of the Episcopate), and because the Anglican Churches in Canada marry the same sex.

The Anglican Church in the United States of America elected an Archbishop who recently ordained a homosexual female priest (married to a woman) to the Episcopate and also excommunicated two bishops who resisted this anti-Bible teaching approach in this Church. This Church also had ordained a homosexual bishop, Jean Robinson, to the episcopal degree, who married a man after he divorced his wife, who gave birth to a daughter who is a young woman at the time of his ordination.

After much deliberation at the meeting of the Archbishops of the Anglican Churches in the world, neither the Church of Canada nor the Church of the United States of America complied with the calls of the majority of Archbishops (Primates), who represent approximately two thirds.

The Archbishop of Canterbury was forced not to hold meetings of the Archbishops, contented with the Executive Committee, the majority of whom were liberal bishops.

After a long wait of about eight years, Bishop Mounir Hanna and two bishops resigned from the Executive Committee and decided to hold an expanded Southern Hemisphere conference (Global south) in Singapore at the invitation of the Archbishop there attending the representatives of their churches in Africa and Asia and some conservative bishops from England and other countries with Western culture.

The invitation reached His Holiness Pope Shenouda III to attend this conference, and to send a delegate from our church. His Holiness delegated His Grace Bishop Suriel, Bishop of Melbourne, to attend and to deliver a speech on the vision of the Coptic Church saying: "My brothers, I think it is the right time to stand together because the south Anglican world has taken a strong stance, so there is no room to show gentleness and politeness in a political style. Your youth and many ecumenical participants are closely watching the results of your meeting. So, will a strong message come out to the rest of the evangelists to repent and return to God and to His holy will? How does one live a full and holy life while living in a corrupt lifestyle like homosexuals???"

After the attendees emphasised in their final statement that marriage according to the Bible is between a man and a woman, they decided in Singapore that they would not attend any meetings of the Anglican and Episcopal Churches, attended by the North American Churches (the Episcopal Churches). They thanked His Holiness, Pope Shenouda III, for sending a representative of him to their meeting.

One of the striking things is that the Bishop of London does not agree with the deviation that has taken place in the Anglican West and that six hundred Episcopal Churches in the United States of America have formed a diocese (Province) independent of the Episcopal Church there which has called itself The Episcopal Church (abbreviated to TEC) instead of Episcopal Church in U.S.A. (abbreviated to ECUSA). It is clear that the two Episcopal Churches of Canada and the United States of America do not wish to back down because the Archbishop was recently determined to ordain homosexual bishops despite the many warnings and the warnings surrounding this new practice.

In general, the situation currently opens the door for establishing theological dialogue with the Southern Hemisphere group, the Global South of the Anglican Communion which represents about two thirds of the total Anglican churches.

The Pope was received by His Grace Bishop Mounir Hanna, Archbishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East, who is the Bishop of Egypt, North Africa and the Horn of Africa and Honorary Treasurer of the Management Committee of the Southern Hemisphere Presidents Meeting (Horn Treasurer, Global South Primates Committee.)

The Holy Synod agreed to this if the invitation reached the family of the Eastern Orthodox Churches.