Hours before the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, al-Ahrām was keen to meet with Pope Tawadros II and tackle all of the pressing issues of the Church.

At the beginning of the interview, Pope Tawadros stressed that Egypt is a great country and will remain as such in the future. He expressed his hope for things to stabilize within the coming year and that the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is a message for the prevalence of peace and hope throughout Egypt. Among the many issues he faces after his installation are the Constitution and the position of the Copts, the relationship between the Copts and the Muslim Brotherhood, the militant rhetoric of some who aim at intimidating the Egyptian society, the economic situation and how to break the political impasse, and the re-establishment of societal compatibility. He also noted that the new bylaw on future papal elections will be released by the end of the current year, adding that there are many other issues that need reform within the Church.

Commenting on the Church’s stance regarding the new constitution, Pope Tawadros II said that the Church took part in drafting the Constitution, but quit at a certain point as there is a disagreement over some Constitutional Articles; these are Articles 219 and 70, which concerns giving names to newborns. If a family wants to name the child for example “Kyrillos” and the official at the registration office doesn’t like the name, or doesn’t find it appropriate, he has the authority to change the name. 

“We have submitted to the presidency our amendment proposals, but have not received a reply yet.”

Pope Tawadros explained the connection he perceives between the incident of the Two Saints Church of Alexandria in 2010 and that of Misrāta in Libya in 2012, stating that both cases happened on the New Year, and in both cases people were still inside the churches praying, even if in Misrāta the building next to the church was hit and not the Church itself. He stressed that the relationship between Muslims and Christians in Egypt is very old and dates back 1,300 years; “[…] what is important, however, is having a ruler who has the efficiency to govern.  Efficiency to work for the benefit of the country is what matters most, and, eventually, relationships between Muslims and Christians will not be distorted.”

The Pope further commented that there are no alliances between the Church and political forces with regard to the upcoming parliamentary elections. “Nevertheless,” the Pope added, “there is some kind of promoting to exercise the right of citizenship, whether in candidacy or casting ballots.

On the question of who is more close to the Church’s expectation: the Muslim Brothers, the Liberals, or the Salafists, His Holiness said that the nature and temperament of the Egyptians fit best with the liberal ideology.

“Militancy that tends by nature toward combat and aggressiveness is not suitable for any society, at least not for me as Copt,” His Holiness added.

In response to a question on whether the Church is in favor of Islamic sharī’ah or against it, the Pope said, “In matters of religious law, sharī’ah is applicable for Muslims because it is a religious subject; in matters of national and social subjects, it is not appropriate to be implemented on non-Muslims. When we talk about Muslims living in a community that had fulfilled all aspects of progress and prosperity, then it is a fulfilled society and perfected for sharī’ah to be implemented. But when a community like Egypt is still striving for lack of food, then it is not ready yet for sharī’ah implementation.”

Asked if he had a message to add, the Pope answered that he does not address only Christians, but every Egyptian, saying that the country needs a new start after many young people had sacrificed their lives, that in particular all the authorities and the decision-makers ought to fulfill actions instead of rhetoric, and that re-establishing the trust between the ruler and the ruled is imperative if positive results for the benefit of the country are required (Ashraf Sādiq, al-Ahrām, Jan. 5, p. 5).  Read original text in Arabic.