Cairo (Fides Service)- An unusual Christmas. This is how a Fides source in Cairo describes the Christmas about to be lived by Christians in Egypt where anti-Christian pressure from Islamic fundamentalism increases with each passing day. “Copt Orthodox Pope Shenouda III has said he will not celebrate Christmas Mass unless violence on Christians is stopped ” the source told Fides. “Some time ago Pope Shenouda III moved from the Patriarchate to take up residence in an isolated monastery as a form of protest for threats and intimidation against the Christian community”
According to our sources “pressure on Christians has increased in the last three weeks. The most serious episode was when the wives of three Orthodox priests were abducted and nothing more was heard of them”.
“Muslim extremists are furious because Christians refuse to convert to what Muslims call the ‘one true religion’. They want to uproot Christianity from Egypt a country where the Church has been present for centuries” Fides sources recall.
“There are other ways of preventing Egyptian Christians from celebrating Christmas” our sources add. “For example, university examinations are planned on the 1 and 8 of January which means our students cannot celebrate Orthodox Christmas will falls on January 7. How can students who study hundreds of miles away from their families be with the family if they have an exam the next day?” “This comes despite the fact the two years ago the civil authorities declared Orthodox Christmas a national holiday. But the universities have no regard for the needs of Christian students” Fides sources recall. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 20/12/2004 righe 27 parole 320)