Cairo Circle

[Little_Boy_Lost]

I’ve heard this term mentioned several times. Who consistutes the Cairo Circle, what is it’s history in the Melkite Church and what did it accomplish?

 

[Hesychios]

I’ve heard this term mentioned several times. Who consistutes the Cairo Circle, what is it’s history in the Melkite Church and what did it accomplish?

All I know is that two awesome leaders of the Melkite church, Archbishop Joseph Tawil and Archbishop Elias Zoghby, and (I think probably also) Archbishop Joseph Raya (Memory Eternal all!) were involved in this in their younger days, years ago from their work or studies in Egypt. These three I mention were great men in my opinion, the shining stars of Eastern Catholicism. Probably there were others, but I don’t know anything about this except rather obliquely.

They led the drive to de-latinize their church, they also strongly believed in outreach to the non-Arabic community around the world. Perhaps most significantly they sought rapprochement with their Orthodox brothers and a redefinition of the church’s relationship with the bishop of old Rome.

Not all people think this was the right direction for the Melkite church to take, I have seen one person call it the “Melkite disease”, but I think it is marvelous.

Apparently their work influenced Vatican Council II to some extent, and this has had repurcussion throughout Eastern Catholicism, especially in the Byzantine rite churches.

 

[Little_Boy_Lost]

Why the term “Cairo”? Is there were they met and exchanged Ideas?

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Yes, if memory serves me correctly Cairo is where they held their meetings. Incidentally, our current Archbishop, Kyr Bustros, was also a member of this circle, as was His Beatitude, Patriarch Gregorios III (Laham), I believe. Many of the members of this circle are also my personal heros, and I consider them modern-day Fathers of our Melkite Church (and the Eastern [Byzantine] Catholic Churches as a whole), just as I consider Met. Andrew Sheptytsky, Fr. Cyril Korolevsky, and Patriarch Lubomyr Husar modern-day Fathers of the Ukrainian Catholic Church (and of the Eastern Catholic [Byzantine] Churches as a whole). The writings of Kyr Joseph Tawil, Kyr Elias Zoghby and Kyr Joseph Raya are worth multiple readings and ought to be contemplated deeply by any Melkite who takes the future of his/her Church seriously, particularly the future of the Melkite Church in the U.S. A favorite book of mine (I need to obtain of copy of it) is by Kyr Joseph Tawil entitled “Courage to Be Ourselves.” It’s named after his famous Christmas letter. The book itself is a collection of some of his writings and pastoral letters, edited by Kyr Nicholas Samra (another personal hero of mine). I believe it’s available from Sophia Press, but I’ve not been able to find it. If I had to pick one book that all Melkites would be required to read, I believe I’d pick this one (although it’d be a toss up between this one and Kyr Raya’s “Face of God”).