Rev. Dr. Safwat al-Bayādī, head of the Coptic Evangelical Church, revealed that an agreement was reached yesterday (May 13) between the Ministry of Justice and representatives of Christian denominations on the insertion of a separate chapter entitled civil marriage, in order to include Copts in the personal status laws. He noted that this insertion will solve the crisis of marriage between different religions. He added that Church representatives deleted the adoption clause, so as not to clash with Islamic Law and replaced it with “adoption of lineage”. They also agreed on divorce in accordance with Islamic law, just as Church representatives agreed to the mutual recognition of the marriage ceremonies in different Churches, which was opposed by late Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III

Father Bishoy Helmy (Bīshūy Hilmī) of Saint Antonius Church in Shubrā, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Council of Churches, refused the idea that the recognition of civil marriage is the solution to Coptic problems. He said that marriage is one of the Church's Seven Sacrements therefore non-negotiable, and that marriage can be only confirmed though religious ritual (Ahmad al-Sa'dāwī, al-Shurūq al-Jadīd, May 13, p. 4). Read original text in Arabic.