Egyptian Chronicles VI - Moving towards 2033 with the ecumenical movement in Egypt

Boulos Garas is the secretary of the Council of Churches of Egypt. We meet him at the headquarters of the Catholic Coptic Patriarchate, his Church. All smiles, he shares his hope: "I hope that the jubilee of the resurrection will find us united. Even if it is still far away, we must prepare our hearts to become witnesses of the resurrection. If you do not believe in the risen Christ, there is no Christianity. The difference between Christians and non-Christians is the resurrection. It's our treasure!"

For him, it is a great dream to work together around the resurrection and we must start in each local church, each parish, each family. Everyone has to start where they are. And he proposes to publish an ecumenical book on the effects of the resurrection in the world. It transforms us and changes the world. 
 

Mustard seed

With a pastor and a Catholic priest, Coptic Orthodox priest Makary Younan founded the "Mustard Seed" movement. He shows us a video of a great meeting in the rock-cut sanctuary of Mokkatam, where more than 30 thousand Christians celebrated together Christ in 2011. This entire movement, he explains, is centered on the presence of the Risen One among us.

The pastor in question is Sameh Mories whom we visited at the beginning of our Cairo pilgrimage. He explains to us that some bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church objected these meetings, out of fear, that members join other churches. According to him, they are mistaken, because in unity nobody must be afraid and no one leaves his Church. But since this opposition, these great meetings have not been able to take place.

Great celebration at Mokkatam

"Easter 2033 will be a special occasion. While every church will celebrate this event, if we are in unity it will be something very different. I made the experience with "mustard seed".
 

A unity, energized by moving towards 2033

Guirgis Saleh was General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches and receives us in his office of the Coptic Theological Seminary where he teaches. Photographs everywhere show his intense activity for Christian unity. 

Guirgis Saleh and Nelly Khadige (Focolare)

"Unity is the testament of our Lord Jesus Christ. When Muslims see Christians join hands, that means a lot for them. Indeed the most important thing is to represent the love of our Lord, in unity. A dialogue that the walk towards 2033 will stimulate ".

This dialogue seeks to meet the other and to accept it, also in their differences. This is how he organizes meetings between Muslim and Christian students. They wonder what they have in common, identifying fifteen points. But he finds that sometimes it is more difficult to be together with Christians of various origins, even though Jesus calls us to unity. It is this Christian unity that is a message to others.
 

Publish appropriate material for all churches 

I am delighted to see Ramez Attalah, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Egypt, whom I have known for a long time, since I held a similar position in Switzerland. He reminds me that 26th March is a great day: the signing of the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, 40 years ago.

Amir Elhamy (Bible Society) and Bernard Roesch (Focolare)

Amir Elhamy, the editorial director, also assures me that the Bible Society will get involved in the jubilee of 2033. He imagines several publications to mark the three years of the public ministry of Jesus, also in electronic version to get the younger generation on board. The task of the Bible Society is to publish appropriate material that all churches will accept. They are always at their service. For example, for Pope Francis' recent visit to Egypt, they published a booklet on the Sermon on the Mountain, showing its relevance of today.

Rame Attalah, the director of the Bible Society
 

The circle of unity has grown

Perhaps you know that I have been connected for 25 years to Focolare, a Catholic movement, with a great ecumenical openness? I prepared this trip with Sherin Helmy, a Coptic Orthodox focolarine with whom I participate in an international group of theological reflection. We meet every month through via "Skype", on the internet and "in real life" once a year.

At the beginning as well as at the end of our stay we met with Focolare (home in Italy), first with the members of the communities, then with friends of this movement present since the 1980s who are committed to the unity. We also participate in the second meeting of the members of the Chemin Neuf Community, the Charismatic Renewal and an Evangelical Church.

With the Focolari

On the first night Magdi Mishraky, a (Coptic Orthodox) member of the Men Focolare, told us about the relationship between the churches: "Some bishops or leaders are open, others fall back on their church. In February we have the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is beautiful to pray together, but few people participate. What happens after? We must work for charity among the churches: Christians meet and help each other. This is especially important while Evangelicals and Pentecostals growing faster. "

During the last evening, Nelly Khadige, head of the women's community, who attended many of our meetings, tells us: "The first step is to know each other. With your visits, a friendship was created. You are leaving now with the Church of Egypt in your heart. We have lived strong days with Christ among us. The circle of unity has grown. We will continue together ".

I think this is a beautiful conclusion to this amazing and intense visit to this land that the Lord has entered as an emigrant more than 2000 years ago.
 

Martin Hoegger, Head of Inter-Church Relations at JC2033