Pope Shenouda tells Copts to end Maspero protest

In a statement released today, the Coptic Patriarch urges Christians who have been staging a sit-in in Maspero since last Sunday to go home for the sake of theirs and Egypt's reputation

Pope Shenouda III has asked Copts staging a sit-in outside the Radio and TV headquarters in Maspero to go home.
In a statement read by Bishop Yoanes, the pope's secretary, the Coptic Patriarch urged the Copts protesting in front of Maspero to end their sit-in. Today is the eighth day of the sit-in prompted by the attack on Copts andf two churches in Imbaba on 7 May. Twelve were killed and more than two hundred injured during the violence in which the two churches were set ablaze.
“To our children who are protesting in front of Maspero, the protest is now no longer about expressing your opinion and has been infiltrated by those who use different means than the ones you use,” the statement read. “Now there is fighting and hitting and that negatively affects Egypt's reputation as well as your reputation. Therefore, you have to immediately end the protest.”
Pope Shenouda also told the protesting Copts that the crisis that is going on is unacceptable and that the “patience of the rulers is starting to end and you will be the losers if you continue in the protest.”