The Coptic Orthodox Church

The Coptic Orthodox Church:

Partners for Development

[An address given by His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, to the African Christian Leaders’ Gathering of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) in London on Monday 15 November 2004]

I bring you the greetings of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark, and of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt ant the United Kingdom. While His Holiness was unable to attend this distinguished gathering, he has delegated me to attend in his place, reiterating his and the Church’s continued interest and commitment to the ministry of the people of God and the preservation of His world.

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt is an Apostolic, main stream and TraditionalChurch established by St. Mark the apostle, writer of the second gospel, in the first Century. It is the largest Christian Church in the Middle East, with about twelve (12) million faithful in Egypt alone.

Within the true concept of “Church” the Coptic Church is not just an institution but rather is an intrinsic part of the life of every community, every family, and every individual member of the faithful. The Church also sees its’ ministry being one of partnership, and these partnerships are with Coptic dioceses and parishes, Government bodies and NGOs, special interest groups, but above all these is the partnership in ministry with God Himself.

In the current world climate in which we find ourselves and especially in a country like Egypt where, according to the World Bank Report of 2001/2002, thirty-three percent (33%) of the population lives under the poverty line, twelve percent (12%) is unemployed and forty-nine percent (49%) in some rural areas is illiterate, the Church finds herself as a major source of support for these individuals, families and whole communities. While the main role of the Church is to provide spiritual support for her children, there is also a real need for social and economic support in these areas.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Logos, came to support the poor, marginalised and oppressed. He came to “preach the good news to the poor…to proclaim release to the captives and, recovering of the sight to blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18-19). And so we, as His Church, need to do the same. When the multitudes came to listen to His life-giving spiritual words, the Lord was also mindful of their physical needs, and constantly instructed His disciples to feed them first. Our Lord Jesus Christ intended to teach His disciples, and in turn us, that this holistic model of ministry was to be the blueprint upon which they were to build the mission of His Church on earth, using the tools and skills that He had given them, and has given us.

In the 25th Chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew, our Lord Jesus Christ states quite clearly that thehungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned are His brethren, and that when we serve them, we serve Him directly.In this, we find a very clear message to care for all individuals and provide for them according to their needs. Based on this, and within all of the various parts of our ministry within the Church, we refer to the needy and underprivileged as ‘the Lord’s brethren.’

With this understanding, the Coptic Church realised the need for a means of structured social support, and in 1962 established its’ diaconal arm, the Bishopric for Public Ecumenical and Social Services, more endearingly referred to as BLESS, now under the dedicated care of H.G. Bishop Youannes. The main role of BLESS was, and remains, to help the Lord’s brethren to discover and develop their potential and improve the condition of their communities: socially, culturally and economically, equipping them for a more abundant life. This is realised through God’s love that fills the hearts and guides the steps of every steward, and partnership with others working in the same field. The guiding values of BLESS are:

• focusing on the human being irrespective of race, age, sex or religion,
• restoring human dignity through social justice,
• sharing resources with the community GOs & NGOs,
• participating in decision making at all levels,
• emancipating people from fear and selfishness,
• developing their sense of responsibility and commitment,
• respecting diversity and
• striving with others for a better life.

At our first meeting with ARC representatives in Cairo, I was personally inspired by the words of the His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, who outlined the modus operandi of ministry to the Lord’s brethren by saying that ‘…firstly we love them, then we serve them, then we organise them…’ These words can be taken by many of us who often become so focused on the organising that we forget, or at least quickly skim over, the loving and serving.

Egypt now has a population of about seventy (70) million, amongst whom about twelve (12) million are Coptic Christians, constituting approximately fifteen percent (15%) of the population. Through its’ very real and relevant ministry, BLESS serves through a network of community development, child care and vocational training centres, providing a variety of diaconal, family and social services to as many people as it can reach with its’ over-stretched resources.

In partnership with parishes, dioceses and bishoprics such as the Bishopric of Youth throughout Egypt, BLESS has established, runs, shares in and/or supports:

• hundreds of hospitals and clinics for the many who do not have access to basic health services,
• community-based development programs in twenty-nine (29) communities,
• youth and educational programs at the national level that constitute youth work in thousands of communities across Egypt,
• educational and illiteracy programs in over four hundred (400) communities, serving between forty and fifty thousand (40,000 and 50,000) people,
• dedicated health education awareness programs in thirty (30) communities, and
• over one thousand, nine hundred and twelve (1912) income-generating programs that have been initiated over the past five (5) years.

This is all with a greater inclusion of women in development committees across Egypt. From a total of two (2), the number of women involved in this sector is now one hundred and twenty-eight (128), representing about twenty-five percent (25%) of social workers.

The work of the Coptic Church is not limited however to the Egyptian borders. We are currently doing extensive work in Central and South Africa amongst the natives of those regions. We have a bishop for African Affaires and a bishop for Mission, and they both, along with their clergy and dedicated servants, serve all those with whom they have lived for many years. There are currently in excess of forty churches and communities throughout Africa, as well as monasteries, hospitals and vocational training centres. Members of clergy who serve with them there are ordained from amongst their own people and tribes, and thus are aware of their cultural background and needs.

In His divine wisdom, the Lord God, our Creator, engineered a harmonious world, made up of numerous systems that were so finely balanced within themselves and with one another that all were provided for and nothing was forgotten, not even the ravens and the young beasts. Saint Gregory of Nazianzus writes that ‘The Creation is a system and composite of earth and sky and all that is in them….. harmony and unison of the whole, and how each part fits with every other in fair order, and all with the whole, tending to the prefect completion of the world as a unit’. In such a world, according to God’s plan and without human intervention, there would be no hunger, poverty, or destruction of a beautiful environment.

As the stewards of our Lord Jesus Christ and His partners in the ministry, we have a responsibility towards every person and every creature. While it is understandable that we are responsible for every human being, we sometimes forget our very serious responsibility for that which surrounds him and for that which forms an integral part of God’s Creation: the world and the nature therein.

In considering the environment we find ourselves in a very real partnership, not merely with human organisations and bodies, but with the Creator and Master Craftsman Himself. We find ourselves in the place of Noah with whom God not only entrusted his family but every creature that was in the arc and that were to be part of the new beginning. Just as Noah was faithful in maintaining and caring for all those creatures on the arc as commanded by God, so to are we to be faithful in maintaining our world so that we may hand it over to those who come after us and they in turn hand it to those who come after them.

We see evidence of the importance that the Coptic Church places on matters of nature and the environment in presence of dedicated prayers for them being present in every ritual service. The most visible example of this is in the litany that is prayed in every liturgy and ritual service:

Raise the rivers to their measure according to Your grace. Give joy to the face of the earth, may its furrows be abundantly watered and its fruits be plentiful. Prepare it for sowing and harvesting and manage our life as You deem fit. Bless the crown of the year with your goodness for the sake of the poor of your people: the widow, the orphan, the traveller, the stranger, and for the sake of us all who entreat You and seek Your holy name. The eyes of every one look upon You, for You give them their food in due season. Deal with us according to Your goodness, O You who give food to all creatures. Fill our hearts with joy and gladness, that we too, having sufficiency in every thing always, may abound in every good deed.

The environment is not something that is relegated to text books, but is a very real part of our life and our prayers, an essential part for which we thank God and ask His continued blessing.

This has been a brief account of our experience in the ministry to the Lord’s brethren in the limited time allowed. As is known to everyone who serves in the realm of humanitarian relief, no matter how much we do, it is never enough, but increased service can only come through greater and deeper partnerships and support with and from those whom God has blessed and entrusted with the ability to do so. We are truly thankful to God for allowing us to be part of His plan in the service of His children and His world. We ask Him to continue to guide us along our path to our own salvation and that of those for whom we are responsible and whom we meet along the way. We ask Him to give us a humble spirit of service so that we may serve all faithfully, and of obedience so that we may accept His guidance and direction.

We pray that His will be done on earth, bringing peace to all people and nations, and that He protects all His creation at these troubled times.

I present my sincere thanks and the thanks of my Church to the organisers of this gathering, to the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, and to all those who work everywhere for the remembered and forgotten Lord’s brethren.