Pope warns Egypt to resist bids to pit Muslims against Copts
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI called on Egypt's political and religious leaders Wednesday to protect the Copt minority after clashes in Cairo renewed Vatican fears for Christian safety in the Arab world.
Egypt must resist "attempts to sabotage" relations between Christians and Muslims and "safeguard" peace in the wake of clashes between protesters and security forces on Sunday which killed 25, mainly Coptic Christians, he said.
The pope voiced his support for the interim government -- which has become the target of mass public anger over the handling of the transition from ousted president Hosni Mubarak's rule to leadership elections scheduled for November.
The Vatican fears that a government crisis and a setback in the Arab Spring revolution in general will weaken the hand of tolerant Muslims and strengthen extremist minorities who are determined to force Christians out.
The pontiff carefully avoided placing blame, particularly as the details surrounding the clashes remain unclear, with the army insisting it did not fire on the protesters, 300 of whom were injured.
A previous plea from the pope for Egypt to protect its minorities after a New Year's Day attack on Copts was seen as undue interference and riled Cairo, which temporarily recalled its ambassador to the Vatican in protest.
At the time, Benedict XVI's relations with Sunni authorities at the influential Islamist Al-Azhar University in Cairo also soured, as the university lambasted "the pope's repeated attacks on Islam."
But in Wednesday's speech the pontiff acknowledged the key role "religious authorities" were playing in trying to uphold the peace.
It was his first official reaction to the latest attack. On Monday, the Congregation for Eastern Churches at the Vatican had slammed the "senseless violence" and insisted on the state's "responsibility" to guarantee security.
Egypt must resist "attempts to sabotage" relations between Christians and Muslims and "safeguard" peace in the wake of clashes between protesters and security forces on Sunday which killed 25, mainly Coptic Christians, he said.
The pope voiced his support for the interim government -- which has become the target of mass public anger over the handling of the transition from ousted president Hosni Mubarak's rule to leadership elections scheduled for November.
The Vatican fears that a government crisis and a setback in the Arab Spring revolution in general will weaken the hand of tolerant Muslims and strengthen extremist minorities who are determined to force Christians out.
The pontiff carefully avoided placing blame, particularly as the details surrounding the clashes remain unclear, with the army insisting it did not fire on the protesters, 300 of whom were injured.
A previous plea from the pope for Egypt to protect its minorities after a New Year's Day attack on Copts was seen as undue interference and riled Cairo, which temporarily recalled its ambassador to the Vatican in protest.
At the time, Benedict XVI's relations with Sunni authorities at the influential Islamist Al-Azhar University in Cairo also soured, as the university lambasted "the pope's repeated attacks on Islam."
But in Wednesday's speech the pontiff acknowledged the key role "religious authorities" were playing in trying to uphold the peace.
It was his first official reaction to the latest attack. On Monday, the Congregation for Eastern Churches at the Vatican had slammed the "senseless violence" and insisted on the state's "responsibility" to guarantee security.
