Author: Fiona McCallum
Publisher/Publication: Middle Eastern Studies
Volume/Issue: 43(6)
DOI/ISBN: 10.1080/00263200701568287
This article examines the Coptic Orthodox and the Maronite Church as case studies in order to assert the political role of the Patriarch, given the social significance of religion in the Middle East where there is a crisis of state. It refers to the traditional and historical authority of the role of the Patriarch, and addresses the political views and tactics of the Coptic Patriarch Shenouda III and the Maronite Patriarch Sfeir on a spiritual, social and political level.