Negotiations between Maghagha bishops and Minya's governor over the construction of a new bishopric have led nowhere so far, Reem Leila reports On 28 July, a prominent delegation of Coptic figures met with Minya Governor Ahmed Diaaeddin to resolve a crisis over the freezing of construction of a new bishopric in Maghagha. During the meeting, the delegation agreed that Bishop Agathon of the old archbishopric should abide by the terms of the contract signed between him and Diaaeddin, and should halt the protesting sit-in scheduled to take place Saturday in front of Abbasiya Cathedral. On Sunday, Agathon blocked any agreement under the pretext that the whole matter should be discussed with representatives of Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The crisis began two weeks ago when Diaaeddin decided to stop construction of the new bishopric, arguing that Bishop Agathon had violated an agreement struck with the governor. Diaaeddin told Al-Ahram Weekly, "Bishop Agathon did not abide by the agreement conducted between us last March. Agathon has violated two important terms of it. He, together with other bishops, intended to fabricate a crisis to pressure me, but I won't yield. Law must be properly applied over everyone, whether Christian or Muslim." According to the contract signed by the Minya governor and Bishop Agathon, the new bishopric is to be built on 1,800 square metres to replace the current collapsing 600 square metre one. The terms of the contract stipulate that the old building must be completely demolished, including the surrounding fence, before the new construction begins. It also specifies that the land on which the old bishopric was built is to be allocated to build a hospital to serve society, Christians and Muslims, and that any symbols of its former Christian identity are to be removed. "Bishop Agathon agreed on these terms before signing the contract and promised to abide by them. So why is he backing down from his own words now?" asked Diaaeddin. Minya's governor accused Bishop Agathon of refusing to pull down the wall surrounding the old archbishopric. "I will not allow the presence of any religious symbols on the new building, which is meant to serve the whole of society," added Diaaeddin. Agathon, on the other hand, insists that the church is abiding by the terms of the contract. "The City Council granted us a construction licence on 1 June to build the new archbishopric, and all fees have been paid. The governor, however, ordered the building process to be stopped after a part of the new bishopric had already been constructed. We have removed a large part of the outer fence of the old bishopric. We kept a small part to protect our belongings that are still there. We will transfer them when the new building is complete, then we will continue demolishing it," said Agathon. Nonetheless, Agathon, who is committed to building a hospital on the land of the old bishopric to serve both Muslims and Christians, has refused to remove the outer wall of the building because there are Christian symbols on it. "I can't take away the Christian symbols because getting rid of them means eliminating the Christian identity, and because the new building will be a public church hospital," argued Agathon. Agathon alleged that the reason behind the governor's insistence on demolishing the wall is to remove the cross that is embellished on it. "Keeping the wall now is essential because it protects the nuns and bishops of the bishopric as well as their official documents," he claimed. For his part, Diaaeddin responded to Agathon's claims by noting that the old building is yet untouched. "I will not accept two churches to be built close to each other in the same location, nor two mosques. Freedom of worship comes second after stability and public safety." The governor also stated: "What he is saying is nonsense. We are talking here about an official contract whose terms he agreed to and that he signed a few months ago. I will not allow him to ignite the spark of sectarianism here. The law is applied to everyone, including him and all Copts and Muslims as well."
