By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches is calling upon the present ruling authorities in Egypt to “protect and defend the country’s inhabitants, in particular the Christians, against insecurity, attacks and persecutions that there might be against them.”
Zenit News is reporting that Cardinal Leonardo Sandri expressed his hopes for the future of Christians in Egypt during a recent interview on Vatican Radio. He spoke in particular about the fate of the Coptic Orthodox Church, which has some eight to 10 million faithful, and the Coptic Catholic Church, which has between 200,000 and 250,000 faithful.
“For the Coptic Church, both Orthodox as well as Catholic, the present is a moment of great importance, as it allows Orthodox Copts to express themselves as Christians, and our Catholics Copts as Catholics,” he said.
He went on to express his hope that the Egyptian constitution will include “fundamental principles” such as “the dignity of man and woman, liberty for all, a common life in respect of others and of the law.”
He continued: “I also hope that the wisdom of the Egyptians — who have demonstrated it during all the manifestations they have carried out in a peaceful way, in which they have expressed their desire for change — will allow for the construction of a great Egypt, as it has been during all its history.”
The Cardinal’s comments echo those of Pope Benedict XVI who has called for all sides in the Egyptian crisis to “work together for the common good.”
During a February 6 Angelus address, the Pope said he was watching the delicate situation in Egypt unfold, and offered a prayer for “the dear nation of Egypt.”
“I ask God that the land, blessed by the presence of the Holy Family, may rediscover tranquility and peaceful coexistence, in a shared commitment for the common good,” he said.
Relations between the Vatican and Egypt were strained prior to the uprising when the Pope condemned the killing of nearly two dozen Christians in a bomb attack outside a Coptic Church on New Year’s Day, and Egypt responded by withdrawing its ambassador to the Holy See.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
