Directions to Orthodoxy - Egypt complains over pope search

Pope Shenouda III, head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church, leads the Christmas prayers at Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 6, 2008. This post has been viewed 380 times.

References:
· Coptic leader unmoved by court ruling on divorce
· Muslims rampage through Coptic Christian stores
· Egypt's Coptic Pope needs more time in hospital: church
· Egypt Christian activists held for 'insulting Islam'
· Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo unify
· Catholic Pride in 'One True Church' Makes Enemies, Says Coptic Pope
· Pope Shenouda in anti-Semitic outburst

Printable Version
Email to a Friend
RSS Syndication

Egypt complains over pope search
Posted on Thu Apr 10 2008

BBC

Egypt's government has complained after staff at Heathrow Airport insisted the leader of the Egyptian Coptic Church went through a metal detector.

The Egyptian foreign ministry said the treatment of 84-year-old Pope Shenouda III, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, was "unacceptable".

It added that Pope Shenouda was ordered to undergo a body search, but staff backed down when the cleric objected.

The cleric is the spiritual leader of Egypt's 7.5m Coptic Christians

First time

In a statement, the foreign ministry said that it told Dominic Asquith, the British ambassador in Cairo, that the Egyptian people were extremely offended by the incident, which happened on 30 March.

Mr Asquith said he would ask for a meeting with the pope to apologise, the statement continued.

This was the first time Pope Shenouda had been subject to such a search, Egyptian media reported.

Pope Shenouda had been in the UK to open a new cathedral in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

Discussion: Egypt complains over pope search

No messages have been posted.

Post a Message:

Contact: - Search - Log On