CAIRO - Apparently motivated by the spirit of the January 25 revolution, Copts, who have obtained divorces in the law courts, have decided to rebel against the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Shenouda. Furious at his stubborn refusal to let them remarry, the rebellious divorcees have decided to stage a sit-in outside Saint Mark's Cathedral in el-Abbasia, northeast of central Cairo. Fearing that the Church's officials have closed their ears to their protests, these Copts who wish to remarry are seriously considering going on hunger strike. They are ALSO planning a sit-in on the steps of the Ministry of Justice building, calling for a civil law that would allow them to remarry without the Church's approval. Pope Shenouda, who has rejected the court rulings because they go against the tenets of the Holy Bible, recently stated the Church has unchallenged and absolute authority when it comes to the question of second marriage. He stressed that the Coptic Orthodox Church will not under any circumstances give in to pressure to compromise on the biblical rules for marriage. Several NGOs working in the area of women's welfare have shown sympathy to these divorcees. One of them, the Association for Women's Issues, held a seminar to examine ways to help end the sufferings of Coptic women and Egyptian women in general. The desperate second marriage seekers have also managed to win the hearts of the Union of Maspero Youth, formed during the Copts' mass demonstrations outside the Radio and TV Building in central Cairo. The Union has come up with what it calls a roadmap, to try and persuade the Church to soften its tough stance. The Union, which entered the fray when the guards at Saint Mark's Cathedral threatened to unleash fierce dogs on these divorcees, has urged the Church to launch dialogue with the protesters, in order to explore common ground. Meanwhile, apparently encouraged by Facebook's effectiveness in ousting Mubarak's regime, the Union is trying to put pressure online on Pope Shenouda, in the hope that he will change his mind. The Church has not revealed whether it intends to counterattack or maintain its silence.
