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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>
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]).
Father Matta was suspended twice, first by Pope Yousab II in 1955, and then again by Pope Kyrillos VI for nine years from 1960 to 1969<sup>[http://www.copticpope.org/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=154&page=6]</sup> for administrative/"political" (e.g., his book about the 'Church and the State'<sup>[http://www.al-ahaly.com/articles/06-06-14/1282-inv06.htm]</sup>) rather than for any truly theological or core dogmatic issues.<sup>[http://www.islamonline.net/arabic/famous/religious/2006/06/01.shtml]</sup> Some say the 1960s suspension was because of Father Matta's objection to the Coptic Church signing of the Catholic Declaration of the Innocence of the Jews from the Blood of Christ.<sup>[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arbible/message/31375]</sup>
* Father Matta El-Maskeen. ''Orthodox Prayer Life: The Interior Way'' (ISBN 0881412503) ([http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arbible/message/31241 Excerpt 1],[http://www.beliefnet.com/story/132/story_13250.html Excerpt 2])
* Father Matta El-Maskeen. ''The Communion of Love'' (ISBN 0881410365)
* [http://www.stmacariusmonastery.org/ebooks.htm More English titles by Fr. Matthew The Poor]
[[Category:Modern Writers]]
[[Category:Monastics]]