From the Words of His Holiness the Pope at the Christian-Islamic Meeting
Excerpts from the speech of His Holiness the Pope at the Christian-Islamic meeting called for by President Sadat on 8/2/1977
A Joint Committee for Religious Leaders:
I propose—as one aspect of strengthening national unity—that there should be a permanent joint committee of religious leaders in Islam and Christianity, meeting continually and discussing matters among themselves. For the proverb says: “Distance causes estrangement.”
And I am confident that the more we meet, the more we become connected, the more united we become, and the more deeply we understand one another. This would have its effect on our children, both Christians and Muslims.
Do Not Stand Alone… We Are With You:
We truly feel the situation, and we speak to you from the depths of our feelings and the depths of our hearts. The economic problem, Mr. President, is not yours alone to bear. We all bear it with you. You inherited a situation burdened with debts and have worked as much as you could, and we too should work with you.
And the problem of security as well… and the problems arising from reactions to freedom are not yours alone to bear, but we also bear them with you.
We do not at all accept to stand in relation to rulers as mere spectators, praising or criticizing. Rather, we continually wish to place our hands in the hands of the rulers and walk the whole journey together, cooperating in times of hardship and rejoicing together in times of comfort and ease.
Condemnation of Destruction and Harm:
And in this gathering, we wish to condemn and denounce the incidents of riots, harm, and destruction that occurred in the second half of January. We say that destruction and harm are absolutely not the means by which opinions should be expressed. There are many constitutional means that every person can follow to express his opinion.
The Misuse of Freedom:
We thank you greatly because you established the principles of freedom, whether personal freedom, freedom of the press, freedom of opinion, or freedom to form parties, etc. Yet we never wished—and we speak to you with deep emotion—we never wished that the freedom you granted the people would be used against you or against Egypt. Here I remember the saying of the poet:
“I taught him archery every day, but when his arm became strong, he shot at me.”
What Is Freedom?
Freedom, in our view, is the freedom of the heart from sin, the freedom of thought from deviation, the freedom of man from hatred, selfishness, self-centeredness, and evil in general. The person who has been inwardly liberated can outwardly use freedom properly. But those who have not yet been liberated in their spirits may be restrained by law and punishment, and no one will blame you.
Conscience Is More Important Than Law:
And we thank you, Mr. President, because you care about religious education. In reality, the world is not reformed by law as much as it is reformed by the soundness of conscience. How easy it is for a person to escape the law by committing his sin in secret. How easy it is for someone to interpret the law wrongly for his own benefit. How easy it is to evade the law. And we see in the courts that there may be two disputing parties, each speaking in the name of the law and each opposing the other.
But conscience is far higher than law. We see that law is the minimum level of morality, while conscience is the highest level.
And I say another point here: the law judges outward deeds that can be proven by material evidence. But conscience judges thoughts, intentions, and the inner feelings of the heart—things the law cannot reach.
Therefore, it is good that you care about religious education, Mr. President.
Religious Education:
My proposal in this matter is that religious education should not merely be texts or ideas, but that we should speak about the spirit of religion more than its texts.
We should speak about religion as a life that man absorbs, not as information stuffed into his mind. The Lord Christ said: “The words that I speak to you are spirit and life.” And it has been said in Islam that religion is conduct.
I want people to live religion, not merely memorize it. Religion should fill their hearts and live in their lives. It should teach them love, humility, obedience, and respect for those older than themselves. It should teach them virtue as applied in daily life, not merely as ideas.
Fanaticism:
The worst thing people take from religion is when some think that religiosity means fanaticism, and one imagines that his love for his religion calls him to hate or fight other religions.
We want the religious person who loves everyone. Every person has a place and importance in his heart; every person has a home and a rank in his heart. Every person receives from his love and mercy, as you heard from the honorable Imam… And every person presents a shining image of his religion by spreading peace and love in daily dealings.
The Tolerance of Islam:
I thank you, Mr. President, because you spoke about the tolerance of Islam and the tolerance of Christianity. And it was noble of you that you spoke more extensively about Christianity. Allow me then to speak a little about the tolerance of Islam. I want to speak of Islam in its essence, spirit, and foundation.
Islam treated non-Muslims well. Among this we remember the covenant given to the Christians of Najran, the covenant given to the tribe of Taghlib, the instruction given by Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab before his death, the instruction of Caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq to Usama ibn Zayd, and the covenant given by Amr ibn al-As to the Copts of Egypt.
“Treat the Copts Well”:
And I remember in the tolerance of Islam that beautiful Islamic phrase: “Treat the Copts well, for we have with them kinship and relations.”
I also remember that noble saying: “Whoever harms a dhimmi is not of us. The covenant for them and for their children is an everlasting covenant that shall not be broken, safeguarded and protected by the ruler.”
According to Their Own Religion:
And I also remember in the tolerance of Islam that beautiful Islamic principle which says: “If the people of dhimma come to you, judge between them according to their own religion.”
Thus Islam granted religious freedom to non-Muslims.
Covenants and Agreements:
I also remember in the tolerance of Islam its faithfulness in keeping promises and covenants to Christians concerning their churches, monasteries, monasticism, possessions, lives, and everything else.
And I remember that when Amr ibn al-As came to Egypt, the Patriarch of Egypt, Pope Benjamin the Thirty-Eighth, was hidden throughout Egypt from his fellow Christians who differed from him in faith. But when Amr ibn al-As came, he granted him safety for himself and his churches. The churches taken from him by the Romans were restored to him, and he even assisted him in building a church in Alexandria.
The Protection of God:
I remember the life of love that united us for thirteen centuries, during which we provided an example to people in Islamic-Christian coexistence.
And we remember that Christians stood against invaders, even when those invaders came saying: “We protect minorities.” The Christians rejected the protection of minorities. One of our patriarchs was visited by a foreign ambassador asking to protect the Copts as minorities. The patriarch replied: “Will this king of yours who protects us die, or does he live forever?” The ambassador answered: “Of course he dies.” The patriarch replied: “We are under the protection of a God who does not die.” And he refused foreign intervention by this means.
Indeed, we remember that the Copts held a conference in which they rejected minority representation and said: “We are Egyptians, and we do not wish to accept being minorities.”
The Feast of Epiphany Celebrated by Muslims:
During the Ikhshidid state, Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid celebrated the Feast of Epiphany with the Copts. He sat on an island in the Nile surrounded by a thousand lamps, celebrating the feast with them. And during the Fatimid state, the celebration of Epiphany was a public celebration for both Muslims and Christians.
The Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun:
For the Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun, Ahmad ibn Tulun brought a Christian, Sa‘id ibn Katib al-Farghani, to build the mosque for him because he wanted it built without columns obstructing the view.
Coptic Ministers:
The Copts lived under Muslim rulers who believed in the tolerance of Islam, and they lived a good life. During the reign of Caliph al-Mu‘tasim there were two Christian brothers, one named Salmويه and the other Ibrahim. The first held the position of a minister, and the second carried his seal and was entrusted with the state treasury.
In the Fatimid state, the Coptic minister stood beside the caliph, and there was only one minister. We hear of Isa ibn Nasturus and other Christian ministers who possessed great authority.
Islam—when Muslims understand it correctly and grasp its depths of tolerance—leads them to love their Christian brethren. We commend this enthusiasm that history has repeatedly expressed through many examples. We also hope that the bonds of love between us will become stronger and stronger.
Joint Religious Books:
I still propose… Personally, I have no objection to joining with my Muslim sheikh brethren in preparing joint religious books.
Together we can write books against atheism, for we all believe in the existence of God. We can also write books about the beautiful attributes of God.
We can write books about monotheism, for we believe in one God. Even though we say “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” we follow it by saying, “One God. Amen.”
Together we can write books on virtue and morality. We can also write books together on patriotism and the issues of our country…
Then the general public, the students, and our children—Muslims and Christians alike—will see how the names of religious leaders, Muslims and Christians, are joined together in one book… Believe me, love is stronger than law. In Christianity, the Holy Bible says: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”
We Proclaim the Message of Love:
We continually proclaim the message of love. We want to teach our children in schools love: love for parents, love for teachers, love for leaders, and love for one another—the pure and holy love by which man rises above the level of law. We want to teach our children to love their country: to love every street in it, every institution in it, and every facility in it.
The One Who Differs With You in Opinion:
We want to teach people respect for others and respect for differing opinions. How easy it is for someone to disagree with you in opinion and yet speak to you in a calm and gentle way, causing you to respect his differing opinion. And how easy it is for someone to disagree with you and speak harsh and offensive words…
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – in El-Keraza Magazine – Year Eight (Issue Eight) 25-2-1977
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