CAIRO: The Egyptian Orthodox Church recently agreed to join a campaign launched by members of the Coptic Diaspora requesting the government to approve the building of places of worship, an urgent plea that came after the collapse of a church last month. On Feb. 21, 2009 a church in the governorate of Sohag collapsed causing the downfall of four other neighboring houses. Media spokesperson of the Orthodox Church Bishop Morkos said that the decision to join the campaign reflected the importance of the issue for both Christians and Muslims. "Delaying the approval of building places of worship is disappointing to the Coptic community, Morkos told Daily News Egypt, pointing out that some of the sectarian tension in recent years has erupted as a result of disputes over building or renovating churches. "We have witnessed many sectarian conflicts as a reaction to rumors about building or renovating churches, he said. According to sources at the Orthodox Church, Egypt's Pope Shenouda has ordered the formation of a committee tasked with creating an inventory of churches in need of renovation across the country. The committee has started visiting the patriarchies of the various governorates to assess the churches that need renovation, paying close attention to ones on the verge of collapse, said the same source. Coptic Diaspora organizations are acting under the motto: "Escaping the dark tunnel , emphasizing that their motive is to mobilize public opinion, the Egyptian street and civil society to voice their grievances through legitimate channels to press the government to approve the building of churches. On their websites, the Christian organizations that launched the campaign stressed that they are "100 percent Egyptian and even posted the Egyptian flag to rule out their affiliation with any international organizations.
