Egypt recalls envoy over Pope's comments on church attack

Tuesday January 11, 2011 11:22:57 PM, DPA

Cairo: Egypt Tuesday recalled its ambassador to the Vatican over "interfering" comments made by Pope Benedict XVI following the bombing of a Christian Coptic church in Alexandria.

"Egypt considers the latest statement by the Vatican to be an unacceptable interference in its domestic affairs," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Ambassador Lamia Mekheimar was asked to return to Cairo for "consultations", according to the statement.

It was not clear how long the ambassador would remain in Egypt upon her return.

The attack in Alexandria during a mass on New Year's Eve killed 23 people and injured around 100. It prompted Benedict to reiterate a call on governments in majority Muslim countries to increase efforts to protect their Christian populations.

"This succession of attacks is yet another sign of the urgent need for the governments of the region to adopt, in spite of difficulties and dangers, effective measures for the protection of religious minorities," the pontiff said Monday, referring to the Alexandria attack and to violence against Christians in Iraq.

Benedict made the remarks during his annual address to foreign diplomats at the Vatican.

He went on to say that "the right to religious freedom is not fully respected when only freedom of worship is guaranteed, and that with restrictions".

Other remarks by the pontiff earlier this month condemning the Alexandria attack also drew criticism from Egypt's top Muslim cleric, Ahmed Al-Tayeb of al-Azhar University - one of Sunni Islam's oldest institutions.

The pontiff's comments were an "unacceptable interference in Egypt's affairs", Al-Tayeb said.

The Vatican's embassy in Cairo subsequently issued a statement saying that Benedict's comments should not be seen as "interference in Egypt's internal affairs", but rather a call for individuals and political leaders to respect all religions and encourage peaceful coexistence, according to the Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm.

Egyptian authorities have described the Alexandria attack as an act of terrorism and have rejected allegations that Coptic Christians are persecuted in Egypt.

Official figures estimate that Christians comprise between 10 and 15 percent of Egypt's population.

The Alexandria bombing sparked daily protests throughout the country, with a number of Muslim and Christian demonstrators injured in clashes with police.

                                           Home | Top of the Page

Top Stories

Relatives, local leaders meet Maha CM; demand release of Muslim youths

Close relatives of the Muslim youths arrested in 2006 Malegaon blast case and local leaders January 11 met  »

Release Muslim youths held for Malegaon blast, say scholars

Demand for withdrawal of cases against Muslim youths gathers momentum

Aseemanand confesses his involvement in 2006 Malegaon blast: Report

A prelude to Malegaon bomb blasts

An Inside Narrative of Nanded Blast

Malegaon Blasts: Partisan approach and biased police

Malegaon 2006 blast witness turns hostile

Was Malegaon Blast really a handiwork of Muslims?

  Most Read

Malegaon honours film artists - in 'Filmfare Award' function of its own

In a glittering function January 07, the film artists associated with Mollywood were awarded by a local NGO amid loud applauds and unprecedented cheers. »

Gulf NRIs seek exemption under new direct tax rules

The proposed changes in the new direct tax code, which makes NRIs liable to pay tax if they stay in India for over 60 days a year, has led to some distress among the Indian diaspora in the Gulf region as they tend to spend a longer time in India due to their different socio-economic    »

  News Pick

Temple town with doorless homes gets a bank with no lock

Shani Shingnapur, the world famous temple town in Maharashtra where houses have neither doors or locks, now befittingly has its first commercial bank branch - with no locks on its front door!  The public sector UCO Bank is   »

India's auditor stands by its 2G report 'hundred percent'

Countering Communications Minister Kapil Sibal's criticism of its 2G report as "utterly erroneous", India's official auditor Monday said that it stood   »

Supreme Court issues notice to government, 11 firms in 2G saga

UN criticizes demolition of East Jerusalem hotel for Jewish housing

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that the demolition of a dilapidated hotel in East Jerusalem by Israeli authorities has heightened tensions in the Palestinian   »

Vivekananda movement grows in Nepal on 148th anniversary

More than a century after his death, the electrifying ideology of 19th century Indian philosopher and social reformer Swami Vivekananda is gathering momentum in neighbouring Nepal with people as diverse as police   »

Uttar Pradesh girl was raped by legislator, his guards

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Purshottam Dwivedi and his two security guards had raped a 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district, a preliminary report by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) revealed.  »