The Daily News Egypt published an article on Apr. 9 entitled “Pope Tawadros II accuses President Morsi of inaction”. Below is the full text of the article:
The head of the Coptic Orthodox Church strongly criticised President Mohamed Morsi and his government for its handling of the outbreak of sectarian violence in Al-Khasous last Friday and continued at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo on Sunday.
Pope Tawadros II said that the attack on the cathedral “crossed all red lines” and held the government accountable for the escalation of events, saying the Coptic Church had never before been exposed to such an attack.
The pontiff said that in his telephone conversation with President Mohamed Morsi, the president said the state would provide all necessary measures to secure the cathedral complex, “but on the ground, we didn’t see anything,” said the pope.
He said the Church was waiting for swift government action to take corrective measures, and affirmed that Copts are members of society and the state is responsible for their protection.
The Egyptian presidency blamed people leaving the cathedral on Sunday for the violence, saying the mourners initiated the conflict by vandalising cars in the vicinity of the cathedral. Assistant to the President on Foreign Relations Essam Haddad’s Monday statement said that people in the cathedral were armed and that police were attempting to disperse them.
Footage from the cathedral on Sunday shows police and unknown assailants directing teargas and other projectiles towards people in the Cathedral complex, the footage also shows people from within the complex throwing rocks and facing off with the police.
Members of the Shura Council were scheduled to convene in an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the aftermath of the events at the cathedral, and were set to meet with Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim to further examine the causes of the violence.
Shura Council members blasted the minister when he did not attend the council’s emergency meeting. The lawmakers discussed providing stricter penalties for those possessing unlicensed weapons and called on Prosecutor General Tala’at Abdallah to conduct a swift investigation.
Shura Council member for the Building and Development Party, Safwat Abdel Ghani called on the Church to pacify the Coptic youth and prevent them from the radicalism and militancy that appeared in their chants and bearing of arms because their extremism will be matched by the opposing side.
Abdel Ghani’s words enraged Coptic members of the Council who demanded the right to respond, but were not given the floor and thus withdrew from the session.
Presidential Advisor Pakinam Sharkawy visited the cathedral on Tuesday afternoon to examine damage that had been done to the facility.
The United States Department of State condemned the sectarian violence. “It’s something that we consistently raise with our Egyptian counterparts,” said acting deputy spokesperson Patrick Ventrell. He went on to say his government wanted the rights of all Egyptians to be respected, and added that it would look into conflicting reports of the causes of the violence.
Additional reporting by Ibrahim Al-Masry
(Basil El-Dabh [Bāsil al-Dabh], The Daily News Egypt, Apr. 9). Read original text in Arabic.
Egypt Independent published an article entitled “Pope cancels weekly sermon to protest cathedral attack” and the same article was published in al-Misrī al-Yawm in Arabic. Below is the full text of the article:
Pope Tawadros II announced Tuesday that he has cancelled his weekly sermon and postponed mourning for the victims of recent sectarian violence.
The pope's secretary said the religious leader is angered following the Sunday attack on St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo’s Abbasseya district over the weekend.
Tawadros criticized police during a phone interview aired on the Marmorqos Coptic Channel Tuesday morning, accusing them of failing to secure the cathedral and funeral procession.
At least two people were killed following the attack on Christian mourners attending funeral services of four other Copts killed Friday during a shootout in Khosous, Qalyubiya, between Muslim and Christian residents. One Muslim resident was also killed.
The secretary said a government delegation had visited the cathedral as part of the ongoing investigation into the violence.
Meanwhile, the Coptic Millet Council, a body in charge of the church’s administration affairs, issued a statement Tuesday evening, saying the country’s political leadership is unable to unite society or defuse sectarianism for the first time in the nation’s history.
The council also offered its condolences to the families of those who died in the Khosous and cathedral attacks.
Furthermore, it expressed its deep concern for what it called the systematic nature of attacks on Egyptian Christians, which has worsened in recent months due to the government’s failure to apply the rule of law.
It has also failed to bring perpetrators of other sectarian violence to justice, which reflects poorly on the state and its respect for the freedoms of citizens and religious institutions, citing the deadly Two Saints Church attack and Maspero massacre as prime examples.
The statement added that police were seen firing tear gas canisters at the cathedral, while masked men were spotted inside armored vehicles during the incident. This has raised doubts whether the state is truly dedicated to protecting Copts.
The council blamed the government for the deteriorating security situation and demanded an independent investigation into the violence.
The statement emphasized that freedom of belief, the right to security and the protection of property as well as places of worship are undeniable rights stipulated by religion, the Constitution and international convention. Therefore it is the duty of rulers to ensure those rights are protected.
“The council will not relinquish those rights under any circumstances,” said council member Kamel Saleh.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
(Author not mentioned, Egypt Independent, Apr. 9). Read original text in Arabic.
(‘Imād Khalīl and Safā’ Surūr, al-Misrī al-Yawm, Apr. 10, p. 4). Read original text in Arabic.
