A Coptic activist has urged Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church to start a dialogue with disgruntled followers who plan to demonstrate on their right to divorce outside the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral on September 9.
Michael Aziz al-Bashmoury, the founder of Mainstream Secular Coptic Diaspora, urged Pope Tawadros II and the church’s Holy Synod to open a social dialogue with advocates of the protests. The advocates have consolidated a set of demands, which includes one of the most pressing issues of creating a law that would grant people the right to divorce, as well as have second marriages.
Organizers of the planned protests said they would also demand that businessmen be barred from holding administrative posts at the church for a minimum of five years.
Demands by several members of the Coptic community on the adoption of civilian marriage and the right to divorce have been highly contentious for years as the church has remained adamant in rejecting civil marriages and opposing divorce, except in the case of adultery by either spouse.
Egyptian churches have yet to approve the law proposed by the government in late 2014, which unifies personal affairs' regulations for non-Muslims.
Civilian marriage advocates and hoping the document will resolve their clash with the churches.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
