Decisions of the Holy Synod
Decisions of the Holy Synod
On the morning of Saturday, 17/6, the Holy Synod met at St. Anthony Church in the Great Cathedral in Cairo under the presidency of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, with the attendance of 51 members. Present from abroad were His Grace Anba Daniel, Metropolitan of Khartoum, Uganda, and the South, and His Grace Anba Antonius Markos, General Bishop of Kenya.
Decisions of the Holy Synod
The decisions of the Monasticism Committee and the Ecumenical Relations Committee were presented to the Synod, including the Church’s meetings with the Catholics, with the Anglican Church, and the meeting planned with the Byzantine Orthodox Churches. Also presented was what had been accomplished regarding the Synaxarium. The Synod took note of the Pope’s pastoral visit to Canada, America, and Australia, and of the sending of four monks to our monastery in California, USA. The matter of the Tamouh Monastery was also presented to the Synod and was referred to the Monasticism Committee.
The members of the Synod participated in the consecration of His Grace Anba Matias as Bishop of El-Mahalla, and in the transfer of His Grace Anba Paula as Bishop of Tanta. Some of them also participated in the ordination of the eight new priest fathers.
Regarding Personal Status Matters
A unified certificate in a printed form shall be prepared stating the absence of marital impediments before marriage, bearing the signature of the priest and the seal of the church, and approved by the Patriarchate or the affiliated Metropolis.
Any priest who conducts an engagement or a wedding ceremony outside his diocese must carry a letter from his bishop and obtain permission for this from the diocese in which the engagement or wedding takes place.
To ensure the absence of forgery:
A register shall be prepared in every diocese containing all the signatures of the priests in that diocese.
A register shall be exchanged among all dioceses containing images of all metropolitan seals and the signature of the person responsible for approving certificates in the metropolis.
C- What pertains to each diocese shall be sent to the Secretariat of the Holy Synod. The Secretariat shall prepare a register and distribute copies of it to the dioceses.
Those who entered into invalid marriages shall not be permitted to partake of the Holy Mysteries.
Attention shall be given to establishing new documentation offices, due to the dioceses’ need to appoint new registrars.
Other Decisions of the Holy Synod
1- The Holy Synod observed that in some churches the bridal procession enters accompanied by foreign music known as Royal Entry. Therefore, it decided to prohibit entry with any foreign music; rather, the bride and groom shall enter the church accompanied by church hymns.
2- The Holy Synod also observed that some priest fathers celebrate liturgies that are not used in our Church, such as the Marian Liturgy, the Liturgy of John Ibn al-Ra‘d, and others. The Synod decided that no priest may celebrate except with the three well-known liturgies: the Basilian, the Gregorian, and the Cyrillian. The Synod’s Rituals Committee shall study the matter of the other liturgies.
A Special Decision Regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists
The Holy Synod decided in its session (17/6/89):
That Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists are not Christians, for they do not believe in the fundamental doctrines of Christians. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not belong to Christ, but to Jehovah. The Adventists believe that Christ is the Archangel Michael. Both groups hold doctrines that Christianity does not approve.
The Holy Synod will issue a statement concerning this matter.
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