“These are tensions, these acts of violence happen quite frequently and this means the situation is not so rosy as the authorities would like to make it look”. This is the statement made to SIR by mgr. Michael Fitzgerald, apostolic nuncio to Egypt and legate of the Holy See to the Organisation of the League of Arab States, as he commented the aggression in which 7 people were killed in the town of Nagaa Hamadi, in the Quena province, about 65 kilometres from Luxor, the night of the Orthodox Christmas, which was celebrated on January 7th. “An attack – he says – the reason of which is not known for sure yet”. In this respect, more importance can be attached to the words spoken by Youhannes Zakaria, Coptic Catholic bishop of Luxor, Upper Egypt, who spoke to Fides of “a plan to promote political Islam by some forces. It will be Christians who will bear the burden first, as they are the victims of the fundamentalists’ violence”. “I would have nothing to add to these words, he is there and knows the situation better than I do”, states mgr. Fitzgerald, who thinks that, “rather than dialogue, it is cohabitation that should be improved to build mutual trust. It is a work that paves the way to dialogue”.

© SIR - 8 jenuary 2010