The archbishop of Maghagha, Minya, Anba Agathon, has pleaded for President Hosni Mubarak to intervene in removing restrictions blocking the building of the city’s new cathedral.
Orders to halt the construction of the church were given by Ahmed Diaa Eddin, governor of Minya.
Hundreds of Minya’s Copts staged a peaceful demonstration yesterday after Sunday services to protest the governor’s decision.
“I resorted to calling on the president as all other ways are blocked to us,” Agathon told Al-Masry Al-Youm. “We had a principal crisis, which was to demolish the old cathedral, which had been near collapse. The problem was solved when the president interfered. But now, the dilemma for us lies in building a new church.”
Agathon said the city council granted a license for construction on 1 June this year, and all relevant fees have been paid. The governor however ordered that the construction process halt after part of the new church had already been built.
Diaa Eddin said the archbishop had violated a previous agreement signed with the governorate, which specified a complete demolition of the old building, including the surrounding wall. Diaa Eddin noted that the old administrative building remains untouched, as do the toilet facilities and the wall.
Diaa Eddin said he would not accept two churches being built in the same location, nor two mosques. “Freedom of worship comes second after stability and public safety,” he said.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
