Pastor Domadius Habib Ibrahim has sparked controversy on social media after appearing in front of the shrine of al-Sayyid al-Badawi in the city of Tanta, Gharbiya Governorate alongside his statements during a previous visit in Iran where he compared the redemption of Jesus Christ to the death of Imam Hussein.
These actions were supported by some as a form of tolerance and rapprochement, while others said they were not appropriate for a Coptic priest.
The Coptic Orthodox Church on Friday said that it summoned Pastor Domadius on Wednesday, before a committee that had been formed to discuss the reasons behind his non-compliance with the decision of Pope Tawadros II issued on August 12 to suspend him from priestly service.
The committee ended up continuing his suspension for a year and preventing him from fully dealing with the media or social media in all its forms.
He was also ordered to spend a period of spiritual seclusion in one of the Coptic monasteries to give him an opportunity to review his actions while monitoring his commitment to the decision.
The committee warned that if he violates any of the previous three clauses, he will be stripped of his priestly rank.
The church added in a statement, “Everything made by Father Domadius only represents his person, and the church is not responsible for these actions. The father caused issues in every church in which he served, and sparked controversy in the street, on media and social media.”
The church continued that it tried to solve the problems of Father Domadius and address his mistakes.
Domadius responds
Father Domadius responded to the church’s statement with a post on his Facebook page, saying: “My venerable fathers and dear children… I declare at the beginning my complete submission to the Council of our Coptic Orthodox Church, and to our father, the Patriarch, Pope Tawadros II, and I declare my complete submission for him”.
He added: “I declare that I made a mistake in something, knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally. From today, I will cut off my connection to any news, websites, or means of social communication, and I will not do anything except through my personal page on Facebook to serve Christ and preach the Gospel.”
“I ask for forgiveness from you, people of Christ, if I did anything that caused you to stumble, whether intentionally or not, for we are all vulnerable, and I ask for your prayers for me.”
And in a previous response, he wrote: “I offer my regret and apology to every person who was hurt by my courtesy and love for my honorable brothers in the homeland, and if I make any statement, it is out of participation, courtesy, and narrating historical facts, and I have not and will not abandon my faith or belief forever. Pray for me, I made a mistake. Forgive me.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
