The Coptic Orthodox Church issued a statement on Saturday 13 November on its relation with the former priest Fr Zakariya Boutros who is famous for his TV shows in which he harshly criticises Islam.
The statement reads:
“The Coptic Orthodox Church has cut its relation with former priest Father Zakariya Boutros more than 18 years ago.
“He was a priest in Egypt and was moved between several churches. He introduced teachings that do not conform with the Orthodox doctrine so was suspended for a period of time. He apologised for propagating these teachings, and was moved to Australia then the UK where he again taught unorthodox teachings. During all that time, the Church attempted to correct his thought.
“The former priest filed a request to be pensioned off, and Pope Shenouda III approved his request on 11 January 2003. Since that date he has no longer been affiliated to the Coptic Orthodox Church, and has not been doing any work with it in any way.
“The former priest later went to the United States where he was hosted in meetings held at homes or in hotels. The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles warned its congregation against hosting him.
“For our part, we reject all behaviour that involves defamation or insults because it contradicts the true spirit of Christianity. We persevere in our love and full respect for all our Muslim brothers and sisters.”
Watani International
14 November 2021