EGYPT: Coptic Orthodox Christian church wish Pope Benedict had not made his remarks

The leader of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christian church said today that he wished that Pope Benedict XVI had not made the comments about Islam that have sparked widespread outrage in the Muslim world. Pope Shenouda III, speaking at a press conference at his cathedral in Cairo, also said that he hoped relations between Copts and Muslims would not be negatively influenced by events outside of Egypt. Earlier on Sunday Pope Benedict said he was "deeply sorry" at the anger caused by his remarks on Islam and said a quote he used from a medieval text about holy wars did not reflect his personal thoughts. The Pope had referred to criticism of the Prophet Mohammad by 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus. The emperor said everything Mohammad brought was evil and inhuman "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". Today Pope Shenouda said that he wished Benedict had considered the consequences of his words before uttering them. "Concerning what I'm saying to the Pope of Rome I would like that he would have taken into account the reaction to his speech but now that he has already made his comments, and it is done, he should deal with the consequences, and he knows the way to deal with it and I will not dictate to him how to deal with it," he said. In remarks reported on Saturday, Shenouda had said that while he hadn't heard Pope Benedict's exact statement, any words that offended Muslims were "against the teachings of Christ." The Egyptian Coptic church is not affiliated with the Vatican and follows Eastern Orthodox Christian theology and practice. Pope Shenouda did not meet with the previous Pope, John Paul II, when on the late pontiff's final visit to Egypt. Approximately 10 percent of Egypt's population of 73 million are Coptic, and the church is eager to avoid the communal tensions between Muslims and Christians that have flared up intermittently in the past. Egyptian Copts also complain of discrimination. At Sunday's press conference, Pope Shenouda said that he hoped that relations between Muslims and Copts in Egypt would not be affected by the controversy. "Concerning the relationship between Copts and Muslims - I hope that they retain their own kind relations at the local level and are not influenced by the ideas that are going on abroad," he said. "Abroad there are countless ideas, and it incumbent on us to keep our own kind relations within our own Eastern sphere, away from the Western thought and its effects," he added. Earlier on Sunday Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said Pope Benedict had not made a "clear apology" on Sunday for remarks on Islam that have sparked anger across the Muslim World, and called on the pope to make his position clear and end "any confusion." The Muslim Brotherhood's deputy leader Mohammad Habib had earlier described the Pope's remarks as a "sufficient apology". Pope Shenouda said on Sunday that Muslim leaders should make an effort to educate those in the West who may be ignorant of Islam. "If there is any ignorance of Islam, the Moslem leaders should try to edify them in Islamic matters," he said. "And I think this will be far better if it is written or said in an European language, not Arabic language." Egypt's foreign ministry summoned the Vatican's envoy to Cairo on Saturday to express Egypt's "extreme regret" at the speech. The Pope, leader of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, made his Sunday apology during his regular Sunday blessing -- known as the Angelus -- at his summer residence Castelgandolfo, an occasion often used to express the church's views on current affair. The backlash against Pope Benedict's statements has been swift in the Muslim world. An Italian nun was killed in Somalia in what may be an attack linked to the controversy. Eight churches, some Catholic, in the West Bank and Gaza have been attacked since Friday, as well as one in Iraq, causing minor damage. In Iran, theological schools closed on Sunday in protest at the Pope and Etemad-e Melli newspaper said senior clerics demanded an immediate apology. The English-language Tehran Times called his remarks "code words for the start of a new crusade". Morocco withdrew its ambassador to the Vatican on Saturday, calling the Pope's remarks "offensive" The backlash over the Pope's comments had cast doubt on his planned visit to Turkey in November, with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, a pious Muslim with roots in political Islam, calling the Pope's comments "ugly and unfortunate". Earlier today in Egypt Students at Egypt's Al-Azhar university today held a silent protest against statements by the Pope. Around two hundred university students marched in inside the university grounds holding up signs condemning the Pope's remarks.

ITN Source | September 18, 2006

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