Maximus I to form new church in sectarian split
CAIRO: The Christian community in Egypt has been abuzz sine President Hosni Mubarak’s statement that he will not get involved in the current controversial issue facing the Coptic Orthodox Church.
On July 3, Archbishop Maximus I dropped announced that he would split from the Coptic Orthodox Church by creating another church, St. Athanasios, with less rigorous beliefs than those adhered to by decree of the Orthodox Coptic Church.
In a Muslim-dominated country, where Christians make up no more than 10 percent of a population of 73 million, an announcement of a split has the power to aggravate the frailty of the closely knit community.
Mubarak, whose government has the power to decide which religious sects can operate in Egypt, has decided to stay out of it, saying earlier this week that he would not intervene in religious affairs such as this and that Copts are able to solve their problems without intervention.
Outnumbered and living in a country where state law is closely intertwined with the sharia (Islamic law), the Christian community may not look kindly on the involvement of the state, which may have avoided hitting a raw nerve by staying out of the issue.
Many, in fact, approve of the president’s decision not to get involved. “I think this issue should first be resolved internally with the involved parties, says Shirley Tahan, an Egyptian Christian. “If this issue is a threat to the Egyptian community as a whole, then I think the government would definitely be involved. But at this stage, it is not a national issue.
Others in the community agree.
“I don’t think the government should be involved because this is a secular issue, and should be dealt with within the church, says Nour Makram, an Egyptian Copt. Referring to the recent conflicts in Alexandria, Makram states that since the government had decided to stay out of the problem then, to take a stand on this issue now would create even greater problems between Muslims and Christians than in Alexandria.
It seems that the issue has not had the resounding impact on the Christian community that was perhaps intended. In fact, Pope Shenuda, leader of the Orthodox Coptic Church since 1971, played down the importance of the conflict, saying that the Church was never harmed by the dangers threatening it and it will not be affected by this development.
“If the government gets involved in this issue, and if it escalates, then they will be adding fuel to the fire, so to speak, and that will affect the relationship between Muslims and Christians, states Makram. Furthermore, the more power and influence Maximus gains, the more fragile the Christian community will become, she adds.
“If he gains more power and influence, not only will the gap between Muslims and Christians widen, but a real separation will occur between Christians, and that is not good for the community, states Makram.
“I cannot really predict the affects of the new church. History has proven that sometimes these new churches can be powerful and sometimes they just die out. At this stage I haven t studied his (Maximus’) ideology enough to really judge. In general, the Christian community has had a lot of opponents, but has always managed to stand strong, Tahan stated.
Bishop Maximus, who was ordained bishop for Egypt and the Middle East in 2005 by a group of Greek Old Calendarists based in Seward, Nebraska, has spoken in favor of allowing bishops to marry and allowing divorce on grounds other than adultery – positions rejected by the head of Egypt s Coptic Orthodox church. Maximus church has also been organizing pilgrimages to places in the Holy Land, which the Coptic Orthodox Church does not allow out of solidarity with Palestinians.
Speaking to the Ala Al-Hawa television program, Pope Shenuda said on Monday that no one recognized Maximus credentials but simple people might mistake him for a mainstream church leader, Reuters reported.
In retaliation, Maximus, who was expelled while serving as a deacon of a Cairo church in 1976 for teaching unorthodox theology, stated that while he was born and raised Coptic Orthodox, he had severed his ties with the church more than 25 years ago.
Furthermore, he has accused Pope Shenuda of promoting sectarian strife in Egypt, where relations between Christians and the majority Muslims are sometimes fraught, according to Reuters.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Maximus said that his priority was to bridge the gap between Christians and Muslims and to re-establish the status of Copts as citizens, not a religious community.
Maximus went on with his attack on Pope Shenouda, stating that the pope has purged the church of anyone that disagreed with him, in an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper this month.
The church throughout its history has never seen an era like the Pope Shenuda era. It has been absolutely the worst for the Coptic people, he reportedly said.
“The Coptic Church in Egypt is known for its strong loyalty and its unity. Like any religion, you have those that follow it wholeheartedly and thus will not be swayed away. Like I said, Copts have undergone so many hardships, and the fact they are here today is because of their strong faith and unity, states Tahan.
