Coptic Church & Ecumenical Movement - Saint Mina Coptic ...

DIRECTIONS TO THE WORK OF THE I.J.C
With the ascension of Pope John Paul II to the Apostolic throne of St. Peter in October
1978, Pope Shenouda III thought it important to enhance relations between the two
churches. Consequently he sent a delegation to Rome to meet the new Pope and sign a
document entitled “Principles Guiding the Search for Unity”.
LETTER OF POPE SHENOUDA III TO POPE JOHN PAUL II
June 16th, 1979
His Holiness the Roman Pontiff Pope John Paul II Beloved Brother in the Lord,
A delegation composed of our brothers in the episcopate: their Graces Archbishop
Athanasius of Beni-Suef, Bishop Samuel of Ecumenical and Social Services in the
Patriarchate, Bishop Gregorios for Theological Studies, Bishop Johannes of El-Gharbia,
Deacon Dr. George Bebawi and Mr. Amin F. Abdelnour, is carrying respectfully in my
name and in the name of our Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of the See of St. Mark,
our Greetings to your Holiness and through you to the Roman Catholic Church, and
conveying to your Holiness once more our congratulations after your installation as Pope
of the Catholic Church. Joined with our supplications to the Almighty God imploring
Him to grant your Holiness full strength and the best health so that you may hold
successfully the heavy responsibility of the Pontificate on your shoulders.
We have been following with joy and admiration your openness to all people and
Churches. Your pastoral visits to Latin America and to Poland have been world wide
appreciated as an expression of your Christian love for God’s People whom the Almighty
has created in His own image. It is our confidence in the Lord that your Holiness carry
on the message of reconciliation between our two Apostolic Churches which took its start
generally and prophetically with Pope John XXIII and followed by Pope Paul VI of the
happy memory.
We never forget the 22nd of June 1968, the day on which the relics of St. Mark were
given back to Egypt and to the Coptic Orthodox Church by Pope Paul VI in Rome and in
the Vatican City.
With splendid joy we have received back the relics of St. Athanasius the Apostolic on the
6th of May 1973 during our visit to Pope Paul VI in Rome and the Vatican City in an
unforgettable celebration in the Basilica of St. Peter. On the 10th of May a Declaration
was signed by the Pope of Rome and the Pope of Alexandria, in which it was recorded
for the first time in history after fifteen centuries of complete isolation and separation,
points of agreement between the two Apostolic Churches. An official Joint Commission
was set up at the same date to study points of divergence with a view to restore the unity
of the Church Universal. Since then four official conferences have taken place in Cairo.
Besides those meetings, another four ecumenical non-official Pro-Oriente Conferences
took place in Vienna since 1971.
It became clear that our two Churches confess and profess in essence almost the same
teaching that Christ our Lord is God Incarnate, who is perfect in His Divinity, meantime
He is perfect in His Humanity. His Godhead and His Manhood are united together
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