Every few days, a talk show on one of the myriad of satellite channels that air in the Arab world hosts a Coptic priest, to speak about one topic or another.
Two priests in particular keep being invited. Father Abdel Massih Bassit, and Father Salib Matta Sawires.
These shows provide an invaluable opportunity for the Coptic Orthodox
Church to present its viewpoint, its perspective, its ideas on various topics. Sometimes the priests are brought in to act as apologetics on behalf of the Coptic Orthodox Church, to defend its theology and dogma.
Unfortunately, these two priests do not exactly...represent the Church's "best foot forward."
Neither priest is embued with any sense of real knowledge or authority. Father Bassit usually takes it upon himself to defend the person of the Pope without actually addressing the issues at hand. As for Father Sawires, he sometimes provides answers that are in direct contradiction to Christian dogma (in a recent episode with Amr Adeeb on "Al Qahera Alyoum", he said that Christians are not allowed to eat pork because it's forbidden in the book of Leviticus - a complete lie).
The Church needs to take charge of its image. The bishops overseeing these priests should reign them in. No priest who is not authorized should appear on these satellite shows - only those who have been chosen by the church to speak on its behalf officially, and who, for lack of a better word, know what they're talking about.
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