Church leaders have objected to provisions in the new law on places of worship that give the government the authority to supervise the financial resources of churches.
“Churches are not government institutions,” said Abdel Messieh Bassit, pastor of the Virgin Mary Church in the Mostorod district. “They are self-financed and every penny is well controlled.”
In related news, Cairo Governor Abdel Kawy Khalifa and his deputy paid a visit to the Virgin Mary Church in the Ain Shams district, which was the scene of clashes after the government ordered its reopening this week.
The church was closed under the former regime for security reasons but was reopened on the condition that no crosses should be placed on the outside of the building, and that it should not have a dome.
“Can you build a mosque without a minaret?” said Kamil Siddiq, secretary of the Confessional Council in objection to the conditions.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
