North American Coptic bishops decry spreading of heresy

(Coptic-LA) - We, the bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church of North America, in our semi-annual meeting in Mississauga, April 23-26, 2018, with His Grace Bishop Suriel of Melbourne and His Grace Bishop Angaelos of London, have observed and studied the phenomenon of the spread of many incorrect doctrines regarding the understanding of the Holy Bible and its interpretation, the concepts of salvation and redemption, the Holy Trinity, the importance of adhering to the doctrines of the Church, and Christian unity and love.

We affirm our commitment, as we did on the day of our ordinations, “to remain steadfast to the Orthodox Faith until the last breath and to keep the canons of the Holy Church established by our fathers the Apostles, by the three Ecumenical Councils held in Nicæa, Constantinople, and Ephesus, and the canons adopted by the Church in the local synods. We also pledge to spread the preaching of the Gospel as much as we can. We also pledge to preserve the traditions, rituals, and teachings of our Coptic Orthodox Church and to do our utmost to teach the people the right and true Faith.”

Our Coptic Orthodox Church, which has guarded the faith in the perseverance of Her fathers and the blood of Her martyrs, will preserve the treasure of the sound faith until the end.

We call for a theological dialogue in our Church based on the reference of the Holy Bible, as explained by the Fathers of the Church, and lived by the Church in Her liturgies so that wrong concepts can be corrected, and our people can be protected from such deviations.

May the Lord keep the peace of our Church through the intercession of the Holy Virgin Saint Mary, St. Mark the great martyr, and the prayers of our beloved father, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II.

And glory be to God forever and ever.

/s/

HE Metropolitan Serapion
HG Bishop Youssef
HG Bishop Suriel
HG Bishop Angaelos
HG Bishop David
HG Bishop Mina
HG Bishop Karas
HG Bishop Peter
HG Bishop Abraham
HG Bishop Kyrillos
HG Bishop Saraphim