February, 2018

My Beloved the benevolent

I would like to congratulate you on the beginning of Great Lent which starts this year on Monday, February 12^th.Wishing you a blessed, holy and accepted fast.

I write you this letter in the onset of the unjustified verdict of Giza court against Eid Atayiah in the case of Amir Tadros church in Atfeeh, which ruled with a fine of 360,000 L.E and one-year imprisonment withholding execution lie ahead.

            But who is Eid Atayiah? I did not find better than the courageous, Moslem, Egyptian writer Hamdy Rizk in his column, published on February 2, 2018 in El Masry El youm journal. Thus, I will convey to you what was told about him “Eid did not commit a major felony or treason and did not conspire to shed blood, did not incite against his people and what was rumored that he is starting a new church is small talk and deceitful rumors. Amir Tadros church is a very old church, and his name is not on it, and he sold the building before to the Diocese and he did not hang crosses or ring bells. Suddenly, the man faced a huge riot attacking, destroying the church contents, aiming for the crosses and bells, and who is that who hates crosses? Unfortunately, they’re known in every village, who have deafness in their ears toward ringing the bells; are known in every village. In our unfortunate case has 19 rulings against them with one-year imprisonment with withholding of execution and 500 L.E fine, while one Christian person gets one-year imprisonment with withholding of execution and 360,000 L.E fine which is in an amount that a citizen who was defending his church would be incapable of paying which at the end of the day is a house for God”.

We used to reject, and our rejection was right to convene any “Customary Sessions” to resolve any sectarian issues, which used to always end with injustice to the Coptic side and ask for enforcement of the law. And the case of Eid reminded me of Pope Shenouda wrote May the Lord repose his soul in the paradise of joy, at the opening of El Keraza journal on Friday 7 March, 1980 under the title “Something greater than the sovereignty of law” and wrote “ we all believe in the sovereignty of law and that it is necessary for societal security, but there is something more important than the sovereignty of law, that is the justice of law, for the just law has sovereignty, because it’s sovereignty is from it’s justice”. And His holiness added “what is meant by the justice of the law, is to be just for all and not for the benefit of one group. Justice is not divided. Justice is a right and right does become a right to some, but to all. Relative right is not absolute right.” And his holiness adds “among the qualities of justice in any law is equality, the law that does not preserve equality to all, is not just, because God created humans equal before Him to submit to all the principles of “truth and virtue”.  And his holiness Pope Shenouda says also “Injustice is unacceptable by anyone, unacceptable by anyone that respects himself and respects justice. Injustice may exist in any society, and society could revolt against it to bring back justice its sovereignty, but the most dangerous thing to happen in a society, is to acquire injustice, meaning it becomes law and all who break it, are punished by this law.

My beloved

We face a situation that injustice is becoming law, and the one who was attacked is now the one who is considered guilty and his family as well. And he did not commit any crime, except doing good, by offering his home to be a house of God. If this is not injustice, what is injustice then? We need to support Eid and defend him because we defend justice and truth and support justice and truth.

The case of Eid became a symbol and a distinct sign that begins a new phase that we need to prepare for.

I invite you to show support for this Noble man who withstood imprisonment for the love of Christ and his church. We pray for him and for his family and support him morally and financially to make him feel that we are all with him and that our Good Lord did not forget his pain and suffering. And trust that God will not forget His church and His people because He promised, and His promise is true to be with us always.

May God bless all your offerings to support Santa Verena Charity Programs and support the oppressed like Eid.

                                                                                                            Metropolitan Serapion