His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks frankly about certain points of disagreement between him and Anba Gregorios, clarifying that these are not personal issues, but doctrinal and theological differences.
He explains that the two main areas of disagreement are:

1. The topic of spirits and teachings about spiritualism.

2. Certain matters of personal status related to forbidden marriages.

Regarding the first issue, His Holiness rejects the idea that spirits remain around the body for three days or that priests come to “drive them away” by force on the third day. He strongly denies that spirits can rebel against God or take on ghostly or animal forms. Such beliefs, he explains, are foreign to Orthodox theology and have no basis in Scripture or the teachings of the Church Fathers.
He clarifies that the prayers on the third day for the departed are not for casting out spirits, but to remind believers of Christ’s Resurrection and to comfort the families of the departed with faith in resurrection and forgiveness.

He also firmly rejects the belief in reincarnation, stating that it is a pagan doctrine, incompatible with Christianity, which teaches that each person dies once and is judged once before God.

On matters of personal status, Pope Shenouda explains that Church laws strictly prohibit marriage to a wife’s sister or a husband’s brother, as this contradicts the Holy Scripture and the canons of the Fathers, such as Saint Basil the Great. Such unions, he says, cause confusion in lineage and violate the sacred meaning of marriage.

His Holiness concludes that it is his duty—not merely his right—to defend the true faith and the correct interpretation of Scripture, and that he will not compromise in matters of doctrine.
He ends by urging everyone to hold firmly to the teachings of the Coptic Orthodox Church as handed down by the Fathers, for the Word of God and the Orthodox Tradition remain unchanged through all generations.

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