Decrees & Recommendations of the Holy Synod Session, March 2024
On March 7, 2024, at 11 AM, the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, led by H.H. Pope Tawadros II, and with the attendance of 110 of the current 133 members, held the General Meeting at the LOGOS Center of the Papal Residence in St. Bishoy’s Monastery – Wadi El-Natrun, Egypt.
His Holiness the Pope gave an introduction, speaking about the importance of bearing fruits in life and a shepherd’s service through the parable of the barren fig tree in Luke 13:6-9.
The main committees of the Holy Synod held their annual meetings over the previous three days starting Monday at the Papal Residence in St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbasiyya – Cairo, to discuss the reports submitted to them by their subcommittees. They issued recommendations that were presented to the members of the synod in the March 7th general session for approval.
The Church declared its belief on the issue of homosexuality through a statement issued by the Holy Synod (mentioned below). In the statement, the Church emphasized its rejection of same-sex relations, supporting her belief with many biblical verses that clearly declare the rejection of such relationships that are contrary to the human nature that God has created.
The following are the decrees and recommendations of the Holy Synod for the March 2024 session:
First: Decrees:
1- Restoration of the monastic life to the Monastery of St. Theodore (Tadros) of Shotb in Manfalout – Sohag, Egypt.
2- Restoration of the monastic life to the Convent of St. Theodore (Tawadros) the Oriental, the Warrior in Luxor, Egypt.
3- Recognition of the Monastery of St. Paul the Apostle in California, USA.
4- Recognition of the Monastery of St. Theodore & Saint Moses the Black on the Ismailia Road, Egypt.
5- Recognition of the Monastery of St. Mary & Archangel Michael in Bahnasa – Minya, Egypt.
6- After consulting with the sister churches of the Eastern Orthodox family, it was decided to suspend the theological dialogue with the Catholic Church, reevaluate the results achieved by the dialogue from its beginning twenty years ago, and establish new standards and mechanisms for the dialogue to proceed in the future.
7- Establishing the General Technical Office in the Patriarchate, and branches of it in the dioceses to communicate with various government agencies and finalize procedures related to churches.
8- Establishing an office bearing the name H.I.G.H., an abbreviation of “Hands in God’s Hand” that is intended to connect members of the Coptic Church abroad and areas in need of service inside Egypt
9- Establishing the General Secretariat of Coptic Hospitals in Cairo, similar to the General Secretariat of Coptic Hospitals in Alexandria
Second: Recommendations
1- Developing topics that encourage the consolidation of the spirit of nationalism and the positive role in society within Church education curricula.
2- Each church should have its own page on one of the social media platforms, on which all church activities should be shared, and a special archive of liturgies, sermons, and spiritual revivals.
3- The Coptic Orthodox Church affirms its firm position of rejecting all forms of homosexual relationships, because they violate the Holy Bible and the law by which God created man as male and female, and the Church considers any blessing of such relations, whatever its type, to be a blessing for sin, and this is unacceptable.
4- Raising awareness of the danger of blood-related marriage and the resulting disorders and disabilities in subsequent generations.
5- Integrating the tasks of the development and social care offices in the dioceses and coordinating among them and the Development Partners Committee of the Coptic Orthodox Church through the Bishopric of Public & Social Services.
6- Focusing on transforming families dependent on charity into productive and income-earning families, to ensure the education of their children, to benefit from the “Daughter of the King” project, and to provide them with a blessing bag that considers proper nutrition.
7- The necessity to add mental health topics in pre-marital classes, as well as in servant’s preparation classes and youth meetings.
8- Establishing family reconciliation committees before resorting to the Clerical Council for Family Affairs, consisting of a priest, a legal advisor, a psychiatrist, and a female representative.
9- Adding a drug test to the tests required before engagement.
10- The importance of documenting marriage contracts with the ritual prayers of the Crowning in the Church.
11- Caring for teachers of Christian religious education in schools, conducting training courses for them, following-up with them spiritually, and arranging periodic meetings for them through a dedicated priest in every diocese.
12- Collecting all books that have been translated from the Coptic heritage into other languages and new book releases for each diocese abroad in one site in order to share the benefit, and avoid duplication of translation.
13- The Coptic Orthodox Church prays for the unity of the sister Orthodox Church in Ethiopia, and for peace and love to prevail among all.
The Coptic Orthodox Church’s opinion on Homosexuality:
According to the Bible, God created man to be distinct and unique. The scripture says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’” (Gen 1:26). This means that God intended, from the very beginning, for man to reflect His holiness, righteousness, and freedom; “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth’” (Gen 1:27,28)
The Church believes that God created humans, both male and female, in a state of holiness, and united them in the sacred covenant of marriage because God Himself is Holy; “therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen 2:24)
God’s call for mankind to live a holy life continued to persist, as outlined in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, Hebrews 12:14 and 1 Thessalonians 4: 7.
God has given mankind free will to live according to His divine will and divine design for marriage between a man and a woman.
Whoever suffers from same-sex attraction but controls this desire is praised for their efforts and is left subject to the same temptations as heterosexual individuals, such as thoughts, sight, and attractions. For someone who struggles with homosexuality, it is essential to seek true repentance. The same goes for someone who falls into the sin of adultery due to their heterosexual nature. Both individuals require spiritual and emotional support, which prove effective in addressing these tendencies. If someone chooses to embrace their homosexual tendency however, and refuses to seek spiritual and emotional help, but continues to break God’s commandments, in that case, their situation becomes the same as someone who is living in adultery. In such cases, they must be warned and advised to abstain from communion, seeking repentance.
Since the Church believes that the Holy Bible, in both its two Testaments, is the word of truth, valid for all ages, and forbids same-sex sexual practices, for instance, Saint Paul says “For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting” (Romans 1:26-28). In this context we also consider other references such as 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Leviticus 18: 22 and Leviticus 20: 13.
Accordingly, the Coptic Orthodox Church strongly opposes all forms of sexual activity outside the bounds of marriage, which it sees as sexual distortion. It firmly rejects the notion that different cultural contexts can be used to justify same-sex relationships under the pretext of human freedom, as it believes this to be damaging to humanity. While the Church believes in human rights and freedoms, it also stresses that these freedoms are not absolute and must not be used to violate the laws of the Creator.
The Church affirms its commitment to fulfilling its pastoral role in aiding individuals who have homosexual tendencies. It also emphasises that it does not reject them, but instead, provides support and assistance to help them achieve an emotional and spiritual solution. The Church places its trust in our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.
Thursday 7th March 2024 AD, 28th Meshir 1740 AM
Source: https://copticorthodox.church/en/holy-synod/holy-synod-session-march-2024