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Matta El-Meskeen

119 bytes added, 00:57, July 6, 2006
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Father Matta is celebrated by many Copts as a reformer and a prominent figure in recent Coptic history. Following the repose of [[Pope]] [[Cyril VI (Atta) of Alexandria|Kyrillos VI]] in 1971, Father Matta and two others ([[Bishops]] Samuel<sup>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040626202449/http://www.st-peter-st-paul-coptic-orthodox-church.org/bpsamuel.htm]</sup> and [[Shenouda III (Gayyid) of Alexandria|Shenouda]]) were considered as candidates for the [[Patriarch]]al throne. Bishop Shenouda was chosen to be the [[Church of Alexandria (Coptic)|Coptic Pope of Alexandria]].
Father Matta and Pope Shenouda share some common history. Both participated in the Sunday school movement and Matta was Shenouda's confessor in the 1950s. Pope Shenouda acknowledges his debt to his teacher, Father Matta El-Meskeen, whom he calls 'my father monk' in the introduction to his book ''Intelaq Al-Rouh'' (''The Release of the Spirit'').<sup>[http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/799/eg42.htm],[http://copticpope.org/books/relspirt.pdf]</sup>(Father Matta was also the spiritual guide of the late Father [[Bishoy Kamel]], a contemporary Coptic Orthodox saint.)
But more recently, some misunderstandings between both leaders and their followers<sup>[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arbible/message/30051],[http://arabi.ahram.org.eg/Arabi/ahram/2006/6/17/WEEK6.htm],[http://masr.20at.com/article.php?sid=571],[http://www.rezgar.com/debat/show.art.asp?aid=68761]</sup> have surfaced, e.g., recent discussions on the concept of [[theosis]]<sup>[http://www.monachos.net/forum/showthread.php?p=22429],[http://orthodoxchristianity.net/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=32&topic=8933.msg119518#msg119518],[http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?topic=8362.0]</sup> and also the position Father Matta held on the [[Mark 16|sixteenth chapter of St. Mark's gospel]]. See: [http://au.geocities.com/coptic_truth01 Web site by some of Fr. Matta's proponents] and Pope Shenouda III's reply concerning the theological and dogmatic opinions of Fr. Matta: [http://masr.20at.com/media/matta/01.rm Part 1],[http://masr.20at.com/media/matta/02.rm Part 2] (Arabic RealAudio; recorded in 1991 - [http://www.zeitun-eg.net/PopeShenoudaIIIs_reply_concerning_the_opinions_of_FrMattaElMeskeen_1991.zip zipped mirror]).

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