The Coptic Orthodox Church did not send representatives to the founding meeting of the Azhar’s Family Home initiative on Saturday, according to al-Wafd.
A church source told the paper that two senior members of the Coptic Orthodox hierarchy had been scheduled to attend the meeting, but he attributed their absence to the church’s “desire to receive a written conceptualization of the mechanics of the initiative’s operations.”
Proposed by Azhar Grand Imām Ahmad al-Tayyib after the recent Alexandria church bombing, the Family Home initiative was meant to serve as an interfaith committee that promotes tolerance and coexistence on behalf of the Azhar and the church.
The source claimed that the Coptic Orthodox Church continues to support the initiative, which will be co-chaired by the Grand Imām and the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch. Representatives of Egypt’s Evangelical and Catholic denominations were present at the meeting.
Last week, a report in ‘Aqīdatī claimed that the Family Home initiative was to be composed of members who did not align themselves ideologically with the Azhar. A later report in Rose al-Yūsuf said that the Councilor to the Grand Imām rejected efforts by the Egypt Peace Lover's Society to launch the iniatiave without permission from the Azhar.
Meanwhile, al-Ahrār reports that the name of the initiative was chanaged from the “Family Home” to the “Egyptian Home,” so as to more clearly represent all Egyptians.
In a separate development, Coptic Catholic Church spokesman Rafīq Greish said the Vatican is currently attempting to resume its dialogue with the Azhar.
Greish anticipates that Cardinal Antonius Najīb, the Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, will bear a letter from Pope Benedict to the Azhar when he returns to Egypt from Rome on Monday, according to al-Wafd.
The Azhar froze religious dialogue with Rome following comments by Pope Benedict regarding the protection of Middle Eastern Christians.
[A similar report was carried in al-Dustūr, p.3. and al-Ahrār, p.1]
