Coptic widow forgives
Father Roman sent a very moving video, showing an Egyptian Coptic widow, whose husband, Nassim Fahim, a security officer in the Cathedral in Alexandria, was murdered during Holy Week by terrorists.
View the video clip here
As we pray for our brothers and sisters in Egypt and the Pope prepares for his visit there, a remarkable testimony to the faith and strength of Egypt’s Christians.
In the televised interview, the widow says: “I am not angry at the one who did this. I am well. I am just telling the one who did this: ‘May God forgive you’. You are not in your right mind. I am not angry but I ask from our Lord… He is gone, he is finished… and I ask the Lord to forgive them and let them try to think, think, think… believe me… if they will think, they will know that we did nothing wrong to them. Think again what you are doing, is it right or wrong? May God forgive you. And we also forgive you, believe me, I forgive you. You put my husband, the father of my children, in a place I could not have dreamed of… all my days… Believe me, I am proud of him and I can only wish that I will be alongside him. Believe me, and I thank you.”
The Muslim Egyptian commentator, viewing the scene, and obviously deeply moved, then said: “The Copts of Egypt are made of steel. The Copts of Egypt, for hundreds of years, have suffered many atrocities and catastrophes. The Egyptian Copt loves the earth of his homeland. The Egyptian Copts bears everything for the sake of his homeland. What is this incredible measure of forgiveness that you have? If your enemy knew how much you forgive, indeed he would not believe it. If it were my father, I would not say that! These people have so much forgiveness in truth, it is their faith. These are people made from a different material. May God have mercy on Umm Nassim. He is a hero, a martyr and a supreme example. To all those sitting around and criticizing, asking what is this country? How does it function… this is how it goes on, with patience, perseverance, endurance… with this great woman and her children, in whom their father lives on for he educated them to be real men!”
