Egyptian church denies deal to build an Orthodox church in Saudi Arabia

CopticWorld has verified from His Holiness Pope Tawadros II on Friday February 21, 2014 at 12:30 p.m Cairo time in a face to face meeting, that the Coptic Orthodox Church did not have any dialogue with Saudi officials about building a Coptic Orthodox Church in Saudi Arabia. Recent rumors about such talks are false.

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The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria has issued a statement that falsifies earlier rumors of a negotiated deal between Pope Tawadros II and the Saudi Ambassador to Egypt on the construction of the Kingdom’s first church.

Father Paul Halim, the official spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church, said that throughout the media there has been rumors and speculations on what the meeting between Pope Tawadros II and the Saudi Ambassador to Egypt in Cairo was all about.  Some had speculated that the Pope was meeting with Mr. Ahmad al-Qattan to finally establishing a Church in the Saudi Kingdom. Father Paul Halim said these are “rumors” and “untrue.”

Father Paul Halim then moved on to explain that the actual reason for the visit was for His Holiness the Pope to offer gratitude to the Saudi Kingdom for their role in supporting the Egyptian people in the revolution that ousted President Morsi and their financial support to Egypt.

The Saudi Ambassador thanked the nationalistic role of the Coptic Orthodox Church and its people in what he said costed them a “heavy price over the years for the love of their land, Egypt.”

The Saudi Kingdom remains one of the few places in the world in which there are no churches and the spreading of Christian ideas, books, bibles or symbols are against the law and punishable by death in some cases.

Their are reported over 1 million Christians living in the Saudi Kingdom.

Source: The Nile Tribune