Amid an ongoing situation of political ambiguity in Egypt al-Watan interviewed Coptic Orthodox Bishop Mūsá of Youth. He was nominated to be the Coptic Orthodox Pope 118, succeeding the deceased Pope Shenouda III, but his loyalty and love to the Church and Egyptian Christians made him reject the nomination, he explained.

Bishop Mūsá is popular among Christians and Muslims alike; despite his tact and sensitivity in dealing with others, he did not hide his distress about the Constitutional Article 219, he told al-Watan.  He continued, saying that the Church has been frank on the concern that such an article would give room to jurisprudence according to doctrinal interpretation, such as the Wahābī ideologies, whereas Egypt has known and enjoyed the moderate and tolerant stance of Islam throughout its history, and when Article II had been enshrined in the Constitution around the 70s, there was not as much concern as now, as said article was then the main source of jurisprudence without specifying sunnah doctrinal implementation.

Bishop Mūsá stressed the spiritual role of the Church and its rejection of any political involvement, even during the Mubārak era, contrary to what has been claimed. If engaged in any action, whether in the past or in the future, it was and is exclusively in societal interaction for the benefit of Egypt in the first place. Despite his openness on Copts having not voted for Muhammad Mursī to become President, the Church delegation headed by Bishop Pachomius extended their congratulations to the elected president, explaining frankly that the Copts expect him to be the president of all Egyptians despite his Islamist background.

The visit of former presidential candidate, Hamdīn Sabbāhī, was on the ground of the friendship that both the Bishop and Sabbāhī had long before the political engagement of the latter, and not on ground of political support as has been claimed the Bishop added when asked whether the Church had supported the opposition during the presidential election. He stressed that Copts, with the emergence of the Revolution, practiced their electoral rights as Egyptian citizens, without guidance of their Churches.

The Church was not pressured to withdraw from the Constituent Assembly. The Church's return to the table of national dialogue was a decision found  to be more sound for resolving the current crisis and would offer the opportunity to submit proposals to amend the controversial articles that had caused the current split among all Egyptian segments. 

Bishop Mūsá further explained that the demand presented in the Constituent Assembly to place the Church’s funds under the state financial control is illogical, as all the Church’s activities fall within the provision of the needs of orphans and needy Copts. He added, the state does not support the Church financially, and, eventually, cannot claim taxes from it. Wealthy Copts help the Church in building churches and charity donations to the families, for example, the victims of the latest Asyut train accident.

On the abduction of Coptic girls and their Islamization, Bishop Mūsá commented that there ought to be differentiation between girls who reached their full age and made their free choice of converting to Islam, and between minors who have been abducted and forced to convert, which is the true issue of concern for the Church and its plea to the government to revive the guiding and advisory sessions for these underaged girls.

Bishop Mūsá commented that the problems of Copts during the Mubārak era are still unresolved; however, he sees some improvement through the interaction of Copts on the political scene. As for the rights of Copts, he is confident that after stability has returned to the country, there will be a more suitable atmosphere to solve them. 

Many of the problems of the Copts seem to be confined in the bylaws of 1938, such as the divorce and second marriage. The Church will look into these issues and hopes to reach a solution that does not contradict the teaching of the Holy Bible, the Bishop added.

Marginalizing the Copts would be a mistake, not only towards Copts, but also towards the unique position of Egypt in the region regarding the moderate ruling of Islam throughout its history, Bishop Mūsá commented. He added that rendering Egypt an extremist religious state will affect its image worldwide and would cause an imbalance in the entire region of the Middle East (Mustafá Rahūmah, al-Watan, Jan. 7, p. 14). Read original text in Arabic.