WATANI International
3 October 2010
As he spoke on Channel I of Egyptian TV, Pope Shenouda III said he felt sorry that “our Muslim brothers had been pained. We are willing to conciliate them in any way possible since our relationship has always been a good, strong one.”
The Pope went on to say that debate about matters of faith is a red line that should never be crossed. “It is not right,” he said, “that we should engage in discussing religious differences. Religious dialogue ought to be restricted to the areas common between religions, for the good of this country.”
The Pope said he had his doubts that the media had correctly reported the words uttered by Anba Bishoi. “I doubt the story on Muslims being our ‘guests’,” he said. “Anba Bishoi is a smart man and, as such, he would consider the expected aftermath of every word he utters. What the media attributed to him sounds strange, especially in view of his usual defence of Islamic issues and the Palestinian problem.”
As to the demonstrations against Copts in Cairo and Alexandria, Pope Shenouda said they had involved abusive words and remarks which insulted every Christian. “I was personally insulted,” he said. “When the Copts demonstrated voicing their demands, they never used insults or resorted to violence.”
Commenting on the allegation that the Church was a ‘State within a State’, he said these were allegations we constantly hear. “How can we be a State within a State,” he asked, “when we have very little or no presence in most State institutions, in Parliament or in syndicates?”