Father Royce Morkos, spokesperson for the Coptic Orthodox Church, said on Friday there is a campaign trying to show that Pope Tawadros II is isolated from the people.
“The world was turned upside down when the pope canceled his weekly sermon last Wednesday because some people in the congregation kept shouting,” he said. “They were demanding things they had no right to.”
“The pope is faithful to the church. He hardly sleeps,” he said. “He travels everywhere to look after the people, although doctors advised him to rest because of problems with his spine.”
“It is not right for people to shout during the sermon and cause trouble,” he added. “The house of God must be respected.”
“The Pope is not isolated from his people,” he said. “It is normal that certain requests to the church are rejected because they violate the teachings of the Bible in terms of personal and other matters.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
