The head of the Coptic Church in Egypt has warned followers that the police in the country are wiretapping their calls, and said they should not confess sins over the phone, the Earth Times website reports today (August 19, 2010).
Pope Shenouda III has said police listen in on calls and the confessor could end up "seeking absolution in prison."
The Coptic Pope's remark was seen as the latest sign of a deterioration in relations between some state institutions and the the Orthodox Christian Copts -- Egypt's largest religious minority -- who comprise some 10 percent of the nation's predominantly Islamic population.
In one of several recent feuds, the church and the state argued over an Egyptian court ruling that allowed Coptic Christians to remarry after divorce -- something that is strictly forbidden under the Coptic Church's teaching.
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