Religion: Freeing a Pope

By the ancient calendar of Egypt’s Coptic Church, this is the Christmas season–and President Hosni Mubarak, a Muslim, had a present last week for his Christian community. He released Pope Shenouda III, 61, from a three-year- long house arrest and allowed him to resume his duties as spiritual leader of the Copts, the largest Christian group (6 million) in any Arab nation.

One month before he was assassinated, in 1981, President Anwar Sadat ordered the detention of Shenouda, eight bishops and 22 parish priests, accusing them of fomenting unrest. Since then, Shenouda has been forced to live at the 4th century Monastery of St. Bishoi, in the desert northwest of Cairo. In 1983 the government finally specified the charges against Shenouda. Among them: emphasizing a Coptic identity, urging churches to teach the old Coptic language, “encouraging hostility toward the regime” by asserting Copts’ political grievances, and resisting legislation aimed at making Egypt more Islamic. Since then, however, Muslim and Christian enmity in Egypt has lessened, and Mubarak has been emphasizing a policy of national reconciliation. Shenouda is expected to stay out of politics and has informally agreed to keep the police informed of any future travel plans.