Human Rights and the Quest for Peace in Orthodox Christianity

This session examines the resources within the Coptic Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches for promoting human rights within the context of the shared commitment of these ecclesial bodies to the work of peacemaking. Bishop Suriel analyzes the era of Pope Shenouda III and the role he played in reaching out to Muslims toward the end of encouraging harmony in Egypt among all its people. Father Antony Andrews interrogates the contemporary state of Coptic Christian support for human rights and peaceable relations with adherents of other religious communities. Mr. Nicholas Sooy examines the relevance of Georges Florovsky’s understanding of human rights for the pursuit of peacemaking within Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Father Philip LeMasters draws on the liturgical and other spiritual resources of Eastern Orthodoxy to argue for support of human rights as a dimension of the peace for which the church prays.