Cardinal Antonius Najīb, Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, talks in this interview with al-Wafd about various current issues facing Egypt.
Regarding the recent debate on divorce and remarriage Najīb said, “Marriage is sacrament built on unity between one man and one woman who will not separate, as long as marriage is built on the right basis."
Dealing with the recent and upcoming elections in Egypt, the Cardinal claims that the majority Muslim population would never vote for a minority Coptic candidate. "Logically, they will vote for the majority. Appointing a fixed parliamentary quota could be a solution,” he said.
Cardinal Najīb is also looking forward to the implementation of a unified law for building places of worship. Further, he believes that politicizing religion and relying on religious rule is unacceptable, whether in Egypt or internationally.
He related the recent Egyptian sectarian violence to a lack of tolerance, dialogue, and social participation. Commenting on recent threats from extremists to Egyptian Copts, “Al-Qā‘idah lacked a reason for this inhuman massacre [referring to the October, 2010 attack on Sayyidat al-Najāh church in Baghdad],” thanking the Interior Minister and the Azhar for their recent statements deploring the threats.
Finally, Cardinal Najīb also called on global institutions to interfere in solving the Israeli / Palestinian conflict.
