Pope Tawadros warned of threats to the Egyptian state and its three representative pillars – the Azhar, the Church and the judiciary.  He called for the intensification of efforts to promote positive work, rather than mere distractions and small issues which are not worthy of being pursued. He said that he was saddened and hurt by police firing tear gas canisters at the papal headquarters, emphasising that what concerns him most is the image of Islam in the West following these attacks on the world’s oldest Church, and the distorted image of Egypt abroad following the suffering of Copts after recent events at the Cathedral. He added that Egypt is in need of a “maestro”, saying also that the Church did not want to slip into politics and would limit its role to the spiritual and social dimensions. With regard to the army, he said that it had played a significant role in the transitional period and has proven that it belongs to the people and fulfilled its promise to hand over power.  He said also that the government has to take the number of Copts, which he said form at least 15% of the Egyptian population, into account in order to assist development plans. He referred to Israel’s invitation for Copts to emigrate there, calling it “malicious” and saying that Copts will never emigrate to Israel (Yasmīn ‘Abd Al-Tawwāb and others, al-Wafd, Apr. 29, p. 3). Read original text in Arabic.