Happy homecoming, dear Pope

In a moving, spontaneous outpouring of collective emotion thousands of Copts gathered at dawn last Monday to give Pope Shenouda III, the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark an emotional ‘welcome home’. His Holiness arrived to Cairo on board a private plane from the United States, where he had been for four months in Cleveland, Ohio, receiving medical treatment for a hip fracture.

Local Development Minister Abdel-Salam al-Mahgoub received the 84-year-old Pope at the Cairo airport on behalf of President Hosni Mubarak, and appeared positively happy to see the pope whom he described as “the sun of Egypt and the pope of all Arabs”.

In your hearts

Apart from the crowds waiting for the pope at the airport, some ten thousand had spent the night in the huge courtyard of St Mark’s cathedral in Abassiya, Cairo, the grounds of which include the papal residence, waiting for the pope who was scheduled to arrive at dawn. As the cathedral bells chimed announcing his arrival at 6:20am, they welcomed him with palm fronds, flags, ululations and songs of praise. “Never again leave us that long,” a woman cried out to the Pope, while the young men and women cheered at the sight of their beloved pope back home in good health.

The pope thanked them saying: “I never left you. I carried you in my heart every moment I was abroad. You are welcoming me today at the ‘papal premises’, but my premises are your hearts.”

On Wednesday evening the pope gave his customary weekly sermon at the cathedral.

Tasks waiting

Awaiting the pope are several tasks, Anba Moussa, Bishop of Youth told Watani. Foremost is the annual meeting of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, which had been scheduled for last June and was postponed following the pope’s fall and his leaving to Cleveland for treatment on 11 June. Pope Shenouda III heads the Holy Synod which usually holds its annual meeting on the Saturday preceding the Pentecost—14 June this year. Now the synod awaits the pope to set a new date for the meeting.

It was traditional for the pope to ordain new priests or to consecrate bishops and archbishops on the eve of the Pentecost every year. This year, since the pope had already left Egypt, the event was also postponed. Many Copts look forward to its taking place now that Pope Shenouda III is back. But this event in particular, Anba Moussa explains, takes long and careful preparation by the pope, since he must meticulously assess every candidate. This requires going through recommendations, and meeting a large number of clerics and laymen. The pope has made it a pre-requirement, Anba Moussa says, that the congregation of any given church should nominate and approve their new pastor; no priest may be imposed on any congregation.

Unresolved crises

Apart from the ecclesiastical duties, other issues will need the immediate attention of Pope Shenouda. Kamil Seddiq, member of the Melli or Community Council of Alexandria, says the pope may have to look at a few unresolved sectarian crises. Among these is that of Abu-Fana monastery; the detention of the two brothers Rifaat and Ibrahim Fawzy who were charged with killing Khalil Mohamed has been extended for another ten days despite the fact that the after-death investigation of Mohamed has proved them innocent of the charge. Another case which awaits the pope’s attention is that of Fr Metta’os of the church of the Holy Virgin in Feisal St in Giza. Fr Metta’os is detained on charges of forgery, since he conducted the matrimonial rites for a Christian man who was marrying a converted young woman. The prosecution claims the young woman’s identity documents were forged, but Giza bishopric announced it will stand by Fr Metta’os since it is not a priest’s responsibility to check the authenticity of the documents.