Pope John Paul made a strong plea for greater moves towards Christian unity at an ecumenical meeting with church leaders in Cairo last night.
He said he wished to renew his invitation to all "to engage with me in a patient dialogue on this subject, a dialogue through which, leaving useless controversy behind, we could listen to one another, keeping before us only the will of Christ for his church".
He went on to say that the basic condition for the common witness was they should "avoid anything which might lead once again to distrust and discord. We have agreed to avoid any form of proselytism or methods and attitudes opposed to the exigencies of Christian love."
He continued: "We do not know each other sufficiently; let us therefore find ways to meet."
Earlier in the day, just such a meeting took place. It was the quintessential "happy-clappy" affair and intimate also, in a way that Masses on a papal visit rarely are. About 20,000 Coptic Catholics, Roman Catholics, Maronites, Syrian Catholics, Armenian Catholics, Kildanian Catholics (from Iraq) and Latin Catholics gathered at the Cairo Stadium Indoor Arena for Mass.
With Pope John Paul on the altar were priests and patriarchs from each of the seven Catholic churches. He was welcomed at the beginning of the Mass by His Beatitude Stephanos II Ghattas, Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, and as a Gloria was sung the congregation clapped a crisp pacey beat. At intervals, they all chanted: "John Paul II, we love you." It was a funky Mass.
And one laden with symbolism. The Agnus Dei was sung in the old Coptic language which, it has been said, only between six and 10 people can speak anymore. The offertory procession was most symbolic of all. It included a picture of the Holy Family painted on papyrus, the paper of ancient Egypt, with the words "Out of Egypt have I called my Son" written at the bottom. Pope John Paul used that line as the theme of his address. He referred to the Exodus, to Moses on Mount Sinai, to the arrival of Christianity in Egypt with St Mark, to the beginnings then of the Coptic Church (Orthodox). It was not represented at the Mass.
Some of the congregation were willing to talk about the experience of being a Christian in Muslim Egypt, but only off the record. A student said being Christian was something you "were made to feel ashamed of".
And there were the Irish. Like Leon Magar, who is Egyptian, his mother, Maighread Ni Mhurchadha, insisted. Though she could hardly have been more proud of being Irish herself. She met her Cairo husband in London some years back while working for Bord Failte. Father Mattie McNeely read prayers at the Mass and among the Carmelites of the Fayoum Oasis, who made the candles, were four Irish nuns.
