Dialogue with the Church of Sweden

In the meeting on 01/06/1996

There was a brief mention of the meeting between us and the Church of Sweden, which represented our Church Their Graces: Bishop Bishoy, Bishop Moses, Bishop Thomas, and also Dr. Mahfoz Adeeb.

The meeting was held in the Monastery of St. Bishoy on 10 and 11 March 1996, and included:

1. The exchange of impressions of liturgical rituals in the two Churches.
2. The exchange of impressions of the ritual baptism in the two Churches.
3. Provide an idea of the dialogue between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church.

It was noted at the end of the dialogue the Church of Sweden and the Anglican Church are almost identical. The next meeting will take place in February 1997.

In the meeting on 14/06/1997

The meeting was held in Sweden between 10 to 15 February 1997.

Representatives of the Church of Sweden said during the discussion sessions:

1. They will be ordaining a female bishop very soon!
2. With all our respect for the message of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III regarding an opinion on "the ordination of women in the priesthood", but we have the right not to be convinced of them!"
3. There are inconsistencies in the Bible.
4. We accept the communion of homosexuals or any person, regardless of their sin, and leave the responsibility to them, without waiting or asking for repentance before communion. Those who practise homosexuality insist on it, so we accept their communion!
5. There are those who practise homosexuality who consider themselves “real Christians”! The bishop ordained a woman who lived publicly lived as a homosexual, to the rank of priesthood.
6. Both deacons and deaconesses (up to now) have no role in the liturgy in the Church of Sweden, but the matter concerns bishops and priests, men and women.
7. Deaconess are no longer officially referred to as such, but rather given the title “deacon”! The ritual ordination of the deacon and the deaconess has become one (by the laying of hands)!
8. The bishop said: “Refusing the ordination of women in the priesthood is a mistake, because in the third century there were female priests married by bishops at the Celtic Church in Ireland, but the Catholic Church breached these matters! It was also considered this was evidence of the presence of female priesthood in the history of the Church!
9. Newspapers in Sweden mentioned a sexually abstinent priest's relationship with a non-abstinent woman!
10. The Bishop of Stockholm endorsed the position denying the resurrection of the dead, and the church did not take any action against him!
11. They were asked about “the sacrifice of the Eucharist” and whether it is a repetition of the sacrifice of the cross. They liked the explanation of the Coptic delegation, which differs from the Catholic concept.
12. The newly elected Archbishop: He was bishop of the second diocese in Sweden (after Stockholm) to ordain female priests, and he is also the most outspoken defender of homosexuality in the Church of Sweden!
13. The bishop said: women’s right to enter priesthood could have been deliberately ignored by Bible writers, because they were all men! As if the Scriptures had come to express the opinion of those who wrote it!
14. They undertake prayers on those who committed suicide, and they insist that this is correct. They say that no one has the right to judge anyone, nor does the Church have the right to judge anyone! This took them to a situation similar to “nationalisation of Catholic infallibility” to be granted to everyone! This effectively justifies the actions of every human being, no matter what they have done, as if they have made no mistakes.
15. They asked that they come to Egypt in February with specialised professors to try to prove the validity of their beliefs in the ordination of women to the priesthood, allow homosexuality and demand that the discussion meetings transition into an official dialogue with their Church (but this date was cancelled and the dialogue with them was cut off because of their insult to Christ and the Apostles publicly in the Cathedral, Sweden).