Maximos Church's information office has declared that Max Michelle – known as Maximos – will soon be back in Egypt. The office explained he had ended his work aimed at making his satellite TV channel capable of broadcasting from America to Cairo and the Middle East. An official source at the office said the channel's signal would reach Cairo and the Middle East before Christmas on the Internet and live through the satellite. He also denied that Maximos had fled from Egypt because his ID card had been withdrawn. "He still has his ID card, but it does not say he is a bishop", the official said, adding that Maximos would respond to the attack of Orthodox Church's leaders through his TV channel. "The corrective programs lately broadcast on this new channel have sowed terror in the hearts of the Egyptian Church's officials once more, especially after they learnt the channel had vowed to increase the number of corrective programs in response to the church officials' unjustified attack" the source said. The official also said the programs would look into crucial issues unreservedly. The source pointed out that the fact that the Church had looked into the life of Archbishop Malaki Sadeq, who announced his conversion to Buddhism, is immoral behavior, as Sadeq resigned and cannot defend himself and respond to the accusations leveled at him. Meanwhile, the Holy Synod of Saint Athnasius's Churches for Orthodox Christians in Egypt and the Middle East replied to a statement issued by the Coptic Church. The Synod described itself as a Christian body born in the US according to US law in the states of Nevada and California. It also said there have been meetings and a partnership with the World Council of Churches in Brazil, Mexico and Latin America. The Synod denied Maliki Sadeq, one of its bishops, had converted to Buddhism and indeed described such news as ridiculous, especially as the Synod is still providing its services in the US and Egypt. The Synod stressed that it has moved apart from the Coptic Church and that the latter does not have the right to attack or slander it or its chairmen or to issue unfair judgments against them. The Synod also pointed out that the Middle East Council of Churches is not its guardian and can therefore not decide whether a church is legal or not. Indeed, this is an exclusive right of the state, added the synod.
