Clerical Questions — Part 1

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III answers a set of theological and pastoral questions from the church people, focusing on topics: the existence of Satan and his hosts, the nature of angels, the sacraments of baptism and chrism, and matters related to spiritual ranks and clerical formation. He clarifies that Satan originally was a fallen angel and many “soldiers of Satan” fell with him, but he rejects understanding Satan as a single being present everywhere or literally calling people “possessed by Satan.”

Main points

• About Satan and the hosts: Satan fell with a large number of angels who are called “demons”; they have relatively extraordinary power, and demons can cause destruction but it does not mean everything is demonized.
• On expelling demons: Casting out demons requires an external spiritual power (prayer and fasting) as Christ taught, and individual treatment alone is not sufficient.
• Souls after death: There are distinctions in places of abode after death (like the example of Abraham in Luke), and it does not mean a shared place of meeting or absolute separation; there are ranks and sections.
• Sacraments and rites (chrism and baptism): The chrism sacrament involves 36 anointings in the traditional practice, and a lack of one anointing or a ritual variation does not mean opening a door to demons. In the Old Testament and other churches, the ways of receiving the Holy Spirit were different (laying on of hands, oil, etc.).
• On treatment by communion: Communion is not viewed as a magical medicine to expel demons; sacraments have their place (the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, for example). Whoever partakes without worthiness may be judged, but not everyone who partakes unworthily is literally burned.
• Angels and their forms: Angels are spirits and not bound by size; they may appear in the form of a child or a large person according to what God chooses.
• Organizational and educational issues: He discusses the importance of ordering lectures before publishing them as books, the difficulty of publishing theological lectures without revision, and his advice for diligent students to rely on memory and note-taking rather than total dependence on recordings.
• Pastoral practical questions: He addresses questions about the deacons’ attire (cloth shoes), fasting times (when Wednesday and Friday fasts begin and end), and the possibility of continuing clerical studies abroad (nearest clerical college branch: Jersey City), and how language may affect exams.
• Spiritual encouragement: He replies to those who feel deficient before their deacon peers with a call to positive work and spiritual edification instead of sorrow or comparison.

The spiritual and moral dimension from the Coptic Orthodox faith perspective

• Emphasis on the danger of a superficial understanding of demons and the need for rational analyses based on Scripture and tradition.
• The importance of sacraments and rites with theological precision and not belittling them, while also avoiding superstition (such as the idea that a demon can enter through a missing anointing).
• Prayer, fasting, repentance, and genuine spiritual work are the way to confront evil, alongside pastoral and sacramental care that shows the church’s compassion.

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