The SMA Mission in Egypt; Proclamation of The Gospel Of Christ Or Dialogue
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Date
2002-02
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
In this thesis I shall try to present my views on the mission of the Society of African
Missions, (the SMA) in Egypt, and ask whether it is the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ
or dialogue with the non-Christians in Egypt.
A number of Post-Vatican II Catholic theologians hold that non- Christian can be saved by
acting in accordance with their own religious beliefs. However, these non-Christians,
according to the theologians, have a much better chance of salvation within the boundaries of
the church. The Catholic church, recognises that religions such as Hinduism, Judaism, Islam
etc., possess at least rays of divine light, and therefore their members are not lacking the grace
for salvation.' Again in the Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii Nuntiandi" of Pope Paul VI we
are told that the first proclamation of the Gospel should be addressed to non-Christians. This is
simply because they carry within them the echo of thousands of years of searching for God, a
quest which is incomplete but often made with great sincerity and righteousness of heart. The
Pope still reminds us that these non-Christians possess an impressive patrimony of deeply
religious texts in which they have taught generations of people how to pray.2 But then the
questions which arise are, if these religions provide genuine ways to salvation for their
followers, is the Mission of the church to the nations still relevant? Is there a need for dialogue
and proclamation, and if so why? For my own society, the SMA, specifically founded for the evangelisation of the non-
Christians, these questions are not merely of academic interest. They touch upon the very
raison d'etre of our existence. I chose this topic purposely to show the need and the novelty of
the Christians' Mission to other religions especially Islam. In this work, I shall try to outline
my views on the S.M.A Mission, specifically in Egypt where 90% of the people are Muslims,
and ask whether it is the proclamation of the message of Christ or dialogue with non-
Christians.
To begin with, I shall try to base my presentation on my pastoral experience in Egypt.
In the first chapter, I intend to give a brief presentation on Egypt. Here I shall discuss briefly
the history of Egypt, some relevant social facts about Egypt, some relevant economic affairs in
the country, and some aspects of religious practice there.
In the second chapter I will endeavour to talk briefly about the presence of the S.M.A.
in Egypt. This will be about the history of the S.M.A. there, and the methodology of its
Mission. I shall also evaluate what the Christian Mission is all about, taking into account the
biblical foundation of Mission, and the recent view of the Magisterium on Mission.
I will evaluate the pastoral challenges of the SMA Mission in Egypt in the third
chapter.
Then the fourth and final chapter will cover the theological reflections and some
insights into the S.M.A. Mission in Egypt, and I shall evaluate whether it is the proclamation of
the Gospel or dialogue. The SMA Mission in Egypt, generally speaking, is not well accepted
by many people. Most of our SMA members are not in favour of our Mission in Egypt. simply because they do not see any fruit from the labours of the past hundred years. So I chose
this topic for my thesis just to try and give some insights into our Mission in Egypt. I tried to
put into words all my pastoral experience and knowledge as well as good ideas I acquired in
Egypt in 1997-98. Hopefully, by reading this reflection, many people will see something or be
enlightened even in a small way about the importance of our Mission in Egypt.
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Keywords
Mission in Egypt, Dialogue