Open letter to V. Rev. Fr Antonios Kaldas

Dear Fr Antonios,

After bowing and kissing your blessed hand;

We hope you don’t mind analyzing current status in light of the past.

Please forgive us if we dare to borrow some quotes from your widely circulated email to Ibrahim (ibstar01@hotmail.com) dated Thu 25 Dec 2008 at 07:44:24, whoever Ibrahim might be.

“I will honestly share with you a deep concern that is troubling me. Our Diocese is being divided – the Body of Christ is being divided. That is serious and very sad.”

There are many people who are seriously disturbed by some of the trends that have happened since your return to St Mark’s Coptic College via a Papal Decree No. 7/38 dated 12 January 2009. Need not to say that the majority of parents (including our team) were calling for your return and were happy when their wish was granted.

Please allow us to give you a sample of the things that are troubling:

• Amir Hanna sits on the interview panel for selecting a new HOC. Then stage a theatrical performance that is not funny with the intention of selecting a HOC who can be easily manipulated and follow orders rather than one who is for the best interest of the college. We hope this won’t be taken as an insult to the current HOC, as it was never the intention. To be fair, the process started before your return and was concluded a while after your reinstatement. You could have intervened though.

• The former P&F committee stack up an AGM and delay distribution of the meeting notice to insure minimal parents’ attendance to pave the way for their reinstatement despite their last year’s disgraceful representation to say the least. It is alleged that the Board played big part in this conspiracy. A game that is not convincing to a primary school student.

• A P&F draft constitution that allows the Board to dissolve the P&F anytime if they ever dare questioning their achievements for the college. Something unheard of in any other school.

• The Board promotes their friends from within their parish to senior positions in the school not based on merits (all the Board members, P&F committee and the promoted senior staff are from St Mark Church).

• A Board that is gone into sleeping mode after contributing greatly to our current dilemma and then issuing or passing a school report full of lies and deceit. The School Annual Report unbelievably states that in 2008 student, parents & teachers were highly satisfied and the level of enrolment at more than 100% (year 7 to 12 were 105%!)!! These are just two examples that even the school students know that are lies because some lost big number of their friends after leaving the school in protest to last year’s turmoil.

• Hany Gayed uses the school site as a political playing field to advance his political career.

• The attempt to excise the college from the Diocese by removing the photo of HG Bishop Daniel from the invitations for the mentioned political function. Something that nobody dares to do in the Diocese of Damiette, for example, in which you cannot predict the consequences!
  
  Need I go on..
  

Aren’t these people doing the very same things that you accused HG with in your email? Things like; playing politics, manipulate people, unethical manner, etc.

I dare to also quote you as saying “There is no place for this kind of politics in a Christian Church, or else we are no different to any other secular organisation. We become a hypocritical ‘business’ peddling the word of God although we are not following it ourselves.”

We take note that in the same email while you were referring to the issue of Fr Mikhail, we quote you saying to Ibrahim (again we don’t know who Ibrahim is) “Notice that others like Amir Hanna had to point out the falsity of the accusations.”

More interestingly; in your CCs; apart from the Vicar for NSW, your parish priests, Fr Tadros El Bakhoumy (blood brother of Dr Medhat Girgis), you included the trio Dr Medhat Girgis, Mr Fayez Hanania and Mr Amir Hanna.

Forgive us but people can’t help it thinking that things are related a bit and hard to come by coincidentally. Things like;

1) Faxing the Papal Decrees 6/38 and 7/38 issued on 12th January 2009 to Amir Hanna rather than to the Diocese office or to the Vicar General.

2) Refraining from releasing the outcome of the account auditing ordered by the Papal Decree 6/38 issued on 12th January 2009. It could be understood as follow:

• If allegations were not true; the release will inculpate Amir Hanna specifically and others as he made the allegations of funds being siphoned from the college to the Diocese. People involved (including Fr Mikhail) deserve to clear their reputation too.

• If allegations were true; legally this is more serious as it can be taken as a cover up if people responsible are still in their positions and the issue were not referred to authorities for further criminal investigation.

3) Singling out this trio only was not because of their positions in the Diocese or they would be supporting HG.

4) Again referencing Amir Hanna as the one who had to point out the falsity of the accusations, regardless of its factual status. Other people had also condemned the accusations but you only chose Amir Hanna!

5) The many posts on this site and the rumors circulating revealing some behind the scene work between the trio and others. Such evil works is continuing to this very moment and is extending to the school. Is it reasonable to think it is similar to a coup?

6) All invitees (guests of honor) in the political party on Monday 7th September 2009 had something in common which is their vocal opposition to HG Bishop Daniel.

7) Also, all of the above could be interpreted certain way in light of;

your post on 7th April 2008 “Looking Forward to the Past”

(http://www.stbishoy.org.au/modules/wordpress/2008/04/07/looking-forward-to-the-past/)

as well as some other similar posts on your blog.

Is it reasonable to assume that the addressees including the trio had pre-knowledge of your email if not at least the idea or the contents were discussed and approved by them prior? Surely, you did not surprise them with it. The entire show seems to have been in the making for quite some time to sideline HG and gain control of the Diocese. Naturally, they supported you unreservedly in the 30th December 2008 meeting (which was documented in the "highly confidential" minutes that was also widely circulated)!

All of the above stacks up in only certain way, doesn’t it?

Abouna, can we dare to ask you; Did you insist on Christian Values and ethics from the trio and the others mentioned above (including the Board, P&F committee etc.) as you requested from HG? Were you not dragged into politics by associating yourself with those people?

Forgive us to quote you again as saying;

“If speaking privately cannot improve this lethal situation, then public honesty is the only thing left to do.”

This is precisely the motive behind this site.

This is not in defense of HG Bishop Daniel but statement of the obvious. People went as far as saying, if possible, we may as well enthrone Amir Hanna a bishop if he is currently running the Diocese and the others to be Chori-Episcopus.

The apparent silence of Egypt about our problem has been extremely damaging. Many people take this silence as signifying support for the trio’s and the others’ actions, and thus the whole Coptic Church is tarnished.

Please do not remain silent as it is affecting the current and future generations. It is sad to see SMC dies a slow and painful death!

We hope our letter not to be taken as criticism. Who are we to criticise anyone, especially Abouna? Otherwise, please be assured it was not the intention.

Please forgive us and grant us the absolution.

In Christ,
SMC Rescue Team