By World Tribune –
“The decision by Pope Tawadros to travel to Jerusalem at the head of a distinguished delegation of bishops to participate in the funeral of Archbishop Anba Abraham will create a huge firestorm in Egypt,” Samuel Tadros, an expert on Egypt and research fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, told The Jerusalem Post.
The archbishop passed away on Nov. 25 and the funeral is set to take place on Nov. 28.
“Jerusalem has always held a special place in Copts’ hearts, with people wishing to make the pilgrimage before they died,” said Tadros, who added that the visit by Tawadros might inspire Copts to make the pilgrimage in April.
Tawadros’ predecessor, Shenouda III, had barred Copts from traveling to Jerusalem after Israel and Egypt signed the 1979 peace treaty. “His decision was driven by his political consideration that if they go, Copts would be tarred as the traitors of the Arab world, so he insisted they would only enter Jerusalem together with Muslims,” said Tadros.
“The position of the church remains unchanged, which is not going to Jerusalem without all our Egyptian (Muslim) brothers,” Coptic church spokesman Boulos Halim told AFP.
“While the Church will attempt to portray the Tawadros visit as different from the pilgrimage, no one will buy that line. The pope must have known clearly that he will pay a political price for his visit, but as he has shown since he became pope in 2012, once he is convinced of the soundness of a decision, he takes it disregarding the political costs.”
Former Israeli ambassador to Egypt Zvi Mazel said it is likely Tawadros “got a green light from President Abdul Fatah Sisi , whose country maintains close intelligence relations with Israel against the background of the ongoing terrorist war of Islamic State against Egypt in Sinai.”
Mazel said conditions for Egypt’s Copts have changed for the better after they supported Sisi’s coming to power, and they now “have a new confidence to act according to their feelings.”
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http://www.worldtribune.com/egypts-coptic-pope-makes-waves-with-rare-visit-to-jerusalem/
