And on Sun. 5/12, the Pope traveled to Syria to
chair the previously scheduled Middle East Council of
Churches which was convened in Damascus. And on
his flight back on Tues. evening, HH read the News
item published in Al Ahram Newspaper about a
Priest's wife having converted to Islam and being
married to a Muslim engineer!!
The Pope arrived at the Patriarchate at about
23:00 hrs. And started His communications to resolve
the matter so that the Patriarchate would take a
chance to sit with the Priest's wife as the Security
Officials did for they had plenty of opportunities to
contact her, the Islamic Influence did also had plenty
of opportunities to contact her and also did her boss
at work…
President Mubarak's reaction was in a co
operative way to resolve the matter in spite of
his travel outside the country. Communication
were carried on with Dr. Zakareya Azmy till more
than two hours after midnight to set a place where
the Priest's wife will come for the Fathers to sit with
her… security forces set a condition that it should not
be at a Churchly area, nor a convent, nor a house of
devotion, nor…, nor….
Finally, it was agreed upon a Villa affiliated to us
which is surrounded by a yard and a fence with no
objection of the presence of some devoted Sisters
with her. She was to be brought to us on Wed.
morning. Security forces investigated the place and
agreed upon it.
And on the morning, HG Bishop Youanes
contacted the Head of the National Security who said
to him that she will be brought to us at that villa
between 12:00 and 13:00 hrs, which didn't happen
and they said that they sent her for medical
examination and that she was on the way.
And the time 14:00 came, then it was 15:00 and
16:00 and nothing took place. The time of the Pope's
weekly Sermon approached, it is a meeting which is
attended by thousands of the congregation. How
would the Pope confront the people? How would He
answer the furious angry youth? Would He tell them
that the problem had been resolved when it wasn't?
Would He tell them that the Priest's wife had been
brought to us while she hadn't? And what if some of
the intruders sneaked into the meeting and cheered
with hostility?!
Finally, at 16:40 HH the Pope left the Papal
residence heading to the Monastery. And while in His
car after an hour of traveling, and at 17:40 He
received a Tel. call that the woman reached the villa!
So what was the point behind delaying
things till after the Pope had traveled, as
delaying things till Mr. Said Sonbol's Funeral
took place?!
What is left to be said is that the villa to
which the Priest's wife reached, was surrounded
by almost ten Central Security Police Forces
wagons, with a group of supreme Police Force
Officers. It was then obvious to the whole
neighborhood that there was something unusual
going on.
When the woman arrived, she was not completely
sober for a period of two days, and then she started
to talk…