priests presenting on aghaby tv

edited November 2014 in Random Issues
I just happened on a program on aghaby tv and was quite surprised in an unhappy manner really to find a priest presenting pope Tawadros questions and answers program.. what's everyone's thoughts?


  • Is it called the "problems of the people" or something like that?  I thought it was three laypeople interviewing the Pope in different episodes.  The first episode was very controversial for its ecclesiological statements.  I don't know if he is still doing these episodes.
  • @minasoliman,
    I don't actually remember what it's called but I think it's the pope's questions and answers with the children
  • is everything wrong nowadays? 
  • edited November 2014
    Amdah said:

    is everything wrong nowadays? 

    @Amdah, I hope you're only referring to ophadece's post, not minasoliman's.
    That being said I don't necessarily disagree with @ophadece, although at this stage I don't feel he has justified his position sufficiently.
  • only to ophadece yes. 
  • The first episode was very controversial for its ecclesiological statements.

    Was that the one where HH used the 'seb7a' analogy in relation to heterodox churches and affirmed a Roman Catholic understanding of the papacy?
  • Is there a way to watch these episodes online? Are they on Aghapy's Youtube channel?
  • edited November 2014
    I feel like his favorite word is  "weyena" or "weyeya"

    It doesn't seem strange that Abouna is the inteviewer at all. A son is asking his father questions about the children of the church. 

    God bless him tho, he's a good shepherd. 
  • My problem lies with the fact that priesthood is being viewed in a warped manner, I don't want to say distorted or use any stronger words. These programs are seen by other people not only Christian so what will they say? I believe it's unassuming of a Coptic orthodox priest to present a tv program like that. That's not a duty or a service for a priest to offer. It's not exactly the same as when priests give Christian talk on tv.. that's my point..
  • @ophadece...recently (and by that i mean in the last 20 yrs or so), priests are becoming much closer to their spiritual children, mainly the youth. Many are taking the role of a Spiritual Adviser rather than just a Father of Confession. You are right, it's not their canonical duty but it does benefit service and helps towards the salvation of people. I think our Christian people these days are much more involved into the world that sometimes priests need to go further into the world to keep them close to the Church.  
  • qawe said:

    The first episode was very controversial for its ecclesiological statements.

    Not sure about the papacy part, but yes, the seb7a analogy episode is the one.  I tried to justify it in my mind, but critics are correct.  There's no way around that analogy.  It's terrible, and it just makes it look like Protestants are just as much part of the Church as we are.
  • edited November 2014
    What is the seb7a analogy? 

  • Seb7a is the Arabic word for prayer beads.  HH Pope Tawadros compared all the denominations of Christians in the world as prayer beads on a string, where each bead stands on its own, but when put together, can give us a good picture of unity in the world.  It was a very vague statement, and yet it caused scandal to a lot of ears who heard it.
  • I remember HH also related the Orthodox church and the Protestant church as two mothers. Why should I leave my mother and go to another? I was shocked to hear that, and extremely saddened. When my mother nursed me, she nursed me milk. The other "mother" doesn't feed her children milk. Milk isn't milk without, for example, Calcium or fats or the like, and so spiritual nutrition without the Eucharist, and those things which lead to theosis is no spiritual nutrition at all. If my mother is the Orthodox church, the protestant "mother" should be reported to child protective services. There are no two mothers. Christ has one church, one bride. The Apostolic church is his bride. The protestant church is not the bride of Christ, and you cannot call her the mother of his children. 

    I don't care about the politics of "El Baba bey2ool kea 3alashan el moslemeen..." Truth is truth. 

  • There is one thing that I suppose needs to be recognized.  This is perhaps our first "media" Pope, in that being that we listen to everything he writes or says in our hyper-mediafied age, we are bound to pick up the problems and mistakes His Holiness makes, and he has proven he still has a lot to learn sadly.  I am all for HH to rather bridle his appearance and his statements among the media, and to have an intelligent spokesperson who can scrutinize every word HH says before it is made public.
  • I don't know much about what else he's said. Not a personal fan of Aghapy TV or CTV myself so I'm not aware. But I suppose I would agree with you, Mina. Not because he's not good at theology (he could be good or bad, I'm not too sure) but just like you said, he's very into media exposure. And as such, since most of his talks would be "winged" it is possible for his words to flow, and sometimes without a second glance. So I thin, when you get to that level, and you are working with that much exposure, things need to be very calculated. Particularly because the "system" (for lack of better word- I sound like some poet who feels pressed by "the man") and how the Pope is seen as the final speaker on any issue, he needs to have things straightened and practiced 1000 times before they can be spoken on air. 


  • Apart from the pope's arguments that I really have no idea at all about, as I have not really paid too much attention to such channels on tv as I can not access Arabic channels, I feel the rank of priesthood being degraded when one priest assumes the role of a tv presenter! I'll probably feel the same if one of the cantors starts singing for Frank Sinatra or Abd El halim Hafez for example..
  • ophadece said:


    Yeah, just like the rank of apostle/bishop was degraded when one apostle assumes the role of a tent maker!
  • No the difference is massive @qawe.. I hope you are not implying that the priest needs more money to become a tv presenter. Besides I think some people should carefully choose the type of secondary work to do if that indeed is the case, that suits their position in society and their role among the people. I would not fathom seeing a senate doing a cleaner job with all due respect to both of course.. nor a chef working as a police officer in night shifts. In fact abouna's role is even more sensitive of course for all kinds of reason..
  • Ophadece, I don't think he meant that at all. I think he was talking about the Transfiguration. While being apostles (highly esteemed since Christ took them privately), they also were willing to setup tents for Christ, Elijah and Moses. Being a tent maker does not take away from their apostolic power, neither does a priest presenting a Q&A session really change anything either. And for that matter, neither does Muallem Mikhail singing Frank Sinatra or And El halim Hafez. It is out of our normal place of matters. But it not really a problem. If on the other hand, Muallem Mikhail starts singing Quranic Muslim songs as prayer to God, or HH Pope Tawadros saying there is no difference between Orthodoxy and Protestantism, then we have a problem.

    Now of course, there are limits to tolerance. It doesn't have to be a full violation of Orthodoxy for us to have a problem with Pope Tawadros' appearance on media outlets. Some will tolerate anything that is not blatantly heterodox. Some will not tolerate clown liturgies like Pope Francis did. Some will not tolerate the hint of impropriety. So I understand your concerns, even if I don't fully see it as you do.

    (qawe, I hope I didn't misrepresent your comments. I apologize if I misunderstood. Please correct if I did)
  • @Remenkimi,
    I still don't think it's appropriate for a priest to present on tv. There's no such a need for extra money I assume, so I do believe it's degrading to the priesthood to do that. Again if cantors Do sing other songs in public it's degrading.. it's a major predicament if one sings words from other religions as you say.. so there are degrees of the same problem in my opinion..
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