Soapbox: The capable pope By Sameh Fawzy Pope Shenouda III is back from the US after four months there on medical treatment. He came back amid controversy: the unresolved Abu Fana crisis, rumours surrounding the health of Wafaa Qustantean, and the imprisonment of a priest on fraud charges. Copts expect Shenouda to take decisions. His hero's welcome and the number of dignitaries that visited him prove that great expectations are still on the shoulders of the aged pope. Over the last months, most Coptic figures, both clergymen and civil leaders, appeared before a number of sectarian problems powerless, incapable and divided. All turned to Shenouda in concern for his health. President Hosni Mubarak and top officials made numerous telephone calls. Ordinary Muslims in their comments on websites expressed unusual interest in the pope's health, conscious of how essential he is to national harmony. What now that Shenouda has returned? First, the Abu Fana Monastery crisis, which lasted six months, has to be resolved. No one can found a lasting deal between the church and Arab tribes but Shenouda. In addition, Wafaa Qustantean, a priest's wife allegedly converted to Islam and returned to Christianity, who is currently staying in a monastery in Wadi Al-Natroun, has to be widely seen, if only to mute rumours sparked by Zagloul El-Naggar concerning her life. Only Shenouda can handle her public appearance. Lastly, one week before the pope's return, a court sent a priest to prison on fraud charges after he conducted a marriage between a Christian man and an ex- Muslim woman who allegedly converted to Christianity and falsified her national identification card. Pope Shenouda, once again, is the only Christian figure that can make the necessary contacts with state officials and resolve the problem. As a closing thought, the last four months have proven just how much the pope's succession is a matter of utmost importance to the national welfare. This week's Soapbox speaker is a political analyst and head of the Citizens for Development Foundation.
