Journey Back to Eden.pdf - St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Chicago

A TIME OF SIGNS: CAELUM ET TERRA 75charisma, and yet his answers are of the most traditional sort. Hepresents wholly and entirely the Orthodox teachings of hisChurch, in belief and in practice, in asceticism and inspiration.The youth of the city are completely overwhelmed by the power ofhis presentation, and they applaud him as though they were at arock concert. So there is a certain incongruity to it all: all theseyoung people attired (as much as they can be) in the fashions oftheir time, applauding a man wearing the ageless garments of adesert monk or an Oriental potentate. Pope Shenouda, like all thebishops and patriarchs of the Coptic Church, was a desert monkbefore he was elected. They are the only Copts who can becomebishops in their Church.After the conference, I made my way toward the papal residencethrough a rather thick throng of excited and happy youngpeople. Many of them stopped me and asked me for my name andaddress: my address in the States. They wanted to know what I’mdoing here. More requests for visas and green cards. What will Ido?I finally reached the papal residence where an attendant let mein, and I spoke to His Holiness for a few minutes that evening. Hesaid that he’d be happy to take me with him the next day back tothe monastery where he thinks I should be, or I think I should be. Iwas then ushered from his presence and escorted across the plazanear the cathedral to what is called the Ghallesium, that is, thehouse of Butros Butros Ghalli of the famous Ghalli family. One ofthe attendants provided a room for me there. Actually, it’s morelike a palace than a house. Apparently there is a cordial understandingbetween the Patriarchate and the Ghallise that certainguests of the Patriarch can be housed for a time in their mansion.Relations with RomeDECEMBER 18, THURSDAYIn the morning I visited the library of the Société d’ ArchéologieCopte which is adjacent to the plaza of the Patriarchate. Afterspending a few hours there, I walked over to the offices of PopeShenouda. Then I got into a car that was waiting for me. We droveto the desert from this point of departure, through the city ofCairo, past the pyramids of Giza, and onto the desert highway be-