Thursday, July 18, 2013

Pope Tawadros Cancels Meeting of Public Prayer; Due to Violence During Egypt's Govt. Transition

For the third week in a row, the Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II canceled the weekly meeting of public prayer and catechesis he holds every Wednesday afternoon in the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, the Independent Catholic News website reports today (July 18, 2013).

Announcing the cancellation, the Secretary General of the Council of Churches in Egypt, Fr. Bishoy Helmy, explained that the decision had been made because of the current difficult moment the country is facing, affected by the violence that followed the overthrow of Morsi's radical Islamist  government and the beginning of a new phase of political transition under the protection of the army.

Since June 30, the Coptic Catholic Bishop of Minya, Botros Fahim Awad Hanna, and Pope Tawadros have both avoided appearing in public, not for their own personal security but because they do not wish to put crowds in danger of attack.

Currently, some Egyptians are accusing Christians of being responsible for the popular uprising in the country on June 30.

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