Coptic Pope Shenouda III will legally challenge a ruling issued last month by the Supreme Administrative Court obliging the Coptic Church to allow Coptic divorcees to remarry. The church, citing biblical injunctions, has categorically rejected the verdict. In his challenge, the pope plans to point out that the ruling contradicts a previous verdict by the Court of Cassation, which ruled that marriage was a personal status issue that falls under church jurisdiction and barred the judiciary from interfering in church affairs, as is stipulated in Article I of Law 462 of 1955. The pope plans to challenge the administrative court ruling before the Supreme Constitutional Court. In a related development, Egypt's Coptic, Anglican and Catholic churches have agreed to amend the so-called "Unified Personal Status Draft Law for Non-Muslims"--currently under discussion by the Justice Ministry before being submitted to parliament--and rename it the "Unified Law for Christians in Egypt." The move is meant to deter other non-Muslim sects--such as Bahais and certain Christian sects not recognized by the orthodox churches--from asking to be included in the draft law. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
