النص بالعربي المصري تحت
“Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? … You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured.” (Ezekiel 34:2,4)
We, the undersigned of this statement, led by Coptic Survivor, Elmahaba Center, and Progressive Copts, have been sounding the alarm about sexual assaults and misconduct in Coptic Orthodox churches since July 2020, when Sally Z started the Coptic Me Too movement. The arrest of a Coptic Orthodox priest by York Regional Police in Ontario, Canada, was inevitable. We write to address serious errors in how this case has been handled and discussed.
First, church leadership has long been aware of the sexual misconduct allegations against Father Andrew Shafik (Michelle (aka Michael) Shafik), yet chose to ignore multiple alarming reports (both verbal and written) from victims and their family members, and still proceeded with the ordination. As reported by Sally Zakhari and Coptic Survivor, multiple leaders were notified in early 2018 and in September 2025, including Pope Tawadros, Bishop Mina, Bishop Angelos, and Bishop Boulos.
Second, after the arrest, a vague, unsigned church statement took no accountability and falsely claimed that the priest had not been assigned to a church, even though the Pope publicly ordained him on the altar of St. Philopateer and St. Demiana Coptic Orthodox Church in Newmarket, Ontario. No equally public papal declaration has ever stated that he was removed from that church or from any other parish.
The statement reads, “This measure was taken months ago and is being maintained out of respect for the ongoing investigation into an allegation dating back…”. Yet church representatives have indicated that they only became aware of police involvement at the time of the priest’s arrest, creating a direct inconsistency in the church’s account. Either the church knew of the police investigation months ago and failed to inform the broader Coptic community, or its appeal to an “ongoing investigation” is misleading at best.
At minimum, the public deserves clear answers about when the church first became aware of any police investigation, what steps were taken at that time to protect children, and why this timeline has not been transparently communicated. The letter ignored the work and trauma of survivors and failed to acknowledge that the state intervened because the church did not protect its children.
By emphasizing that the abuse “dates back more than 30 years,” in the church’s statement and in many social media attacks on survivors and those supporting them, some have implied that the harm committed long ago no longer matters or should not be pursued. This is deeply damaging to survivors and to our community at large.
In our communities, pious language is often used to reinforce this dismissal. Survivors are frequently told to “bear their cross” or “carry their cross,” especially women experiencing domestic violence and other forms of abuse. In this way, the language of the cross is weaponized to tell survivors to endure harm so that men can continue sinning without consequence.
Telling survivors that there is only a narrow window in which their pain is valid silences those who need the most time to come forward. It ignores the critical research that many disclose abuse years or decades later. It also leaves others at risk when abusers remain in positions of trust. In the Gospel, Jesus bears the cross on the path to liberation and the ending of sin, but here the language of the cross is twisted so that women and children are asked to carry the cost of men’s sins instead. We see this pattern in the Epstein files and other high‑profile cases, where decades‑old abuse was systemically hidden and continued to endanger women and children.
The Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church know nothing of a “statute of limitations” on justice; to withhold justice is itself a form of injustice, no matter how much time has passed.
In Scripture, God condemns Eli for allowing his abusive sons to remain in priestly office (1 Samuel 2–3). Tamar’s unaddressed assault leaves her desolate, and tears the royal household apart (2 Samuel 13), showing that abuse left unremedied continues to wound both survivors and the wider community. In the patristic and canonical tradition received by our Coptic Church, St. Basil’s canons on grave sexual sin (especially Canons 3, 59, and 69) and the Apostolic Canons (for example Canon 25) require that clergy who commit such acts be publicly deposed and subjected to lasting discipline, with no suggestion that the Church’s duty to act expires after a certain number of years. Whenever serious harm comes to light, the response must be truth, accountability, and concrete protection of the flock, not silence or delay.
In Ontario, Canada, there is no statute of limitations on assault. Yet, the church’s statement focused on “ecclesiastical order, accountability, and transparency” without mentioning the protection of the flock or victims, or any concrete safeguarding policies. This indifference to the law intimidates those who might report and enables future abuse.
Across multiple dioceses in Canada and the US, there are either no publicly available sexual misconduct policies, broken links, or reporting systems that route reports back to the church rather than to independent third parties, an alarming disregard for community safety.
To Coptic survivors of sexual misconduct in Coptic communities globally: We see you, and we affirm you.
To the broader Coptic public:
- Report sexual misconduct to your local police department via its non‑emergency line by searching for “police non‑emergency line + city name,” or submitting anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers at 1800-222-8477
- If you do not feel safe contacting the police directly, you can first reach out to a confidential sexual assault hotline or support service to talk through your options. In the United States, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1‑800‑656‑HOPE (4673), and in Canada, you can dial 211 to be connected to a local sexual assault hotline.
- For additional support or guidance on how to report, contact Coptic Survivor’s Executive Director, Sally Z, at copticsurvivor@gmail.com.
- Do not trust the Coptic Orthodox Church to handle reports of sexual misconduct; as an institution, it has repeatedly covered up abuse.
To Coptic Orthodox Church leaders: We will continue to hold you accountable. If you truly wish to regain the trust of Copts alarmed by your dangerous practices, you must:
- Immediately launch an independent investigation into this case, take full accountability, hold leaders responsible for administrative failures, and report transparently to the broader Coptic public.
- Publicly publish robust sexual misconduct policies in every diocese and ensure any reporting system is evaluated and operated by third parties outside the Coptic community.
Love in action is not words on paper or vague commitments to “order” and “transparency,” but policies, practices, and culture accountable to survivors, striving for safety, and eliminating harm. We echo the prophetic demand that “justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never‑failing stream” (Amos 5:24), insisting that justice for Coptic survivors includes accountability and safeguards that prevent abuse and its cover‑up.
We, the undersigned, stand with Coptic survivors and refuse any return to silence, minimization, or intimidation.