Egyptian Journalists Syndicate head Makram Mohamed Ahmed has sent a letter to Coptic Pope Shenouda III in which he castigated church officials for banning reporters from covering recent protests within the church.
Members of the church have reportedly protested against a recent meeting between Ahmed Ezz, the ruling party’s secretary for organizational affairs, and Naga Hammadi MP Abdel Rehim el-Ghoul. Many Copts hold the latter responsible for the 6 January murder of five Copts and a Muslim in the Upper Egyptian city of Naga Hammadi.
Syndicate board member Gamal Abdel Rehim said the pope had acknowledged receipt of the letter, which described the church as “a state institution” and asserted the right of journalists “to cover the events taking place in it.”
According to Abdel Rehim, the letter requested a response from the papal office before the syndicate board convenes for a scheduled meeting next week.
“If the pope ignores our letter, we’ll take legal action against the church,” Abdel Rehim warned, stressing that reporters had the right to acquire information directly from their sources.
For two consecutive weeks, church security officials have prevented journalists from covering internal church events, including Shenouda’s weekly sermon, saying they had received direct instructions to this effect from the pope himself.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
