Pope Shenouda, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, had got a promise from a high-ranking official that the Christians' personal status law would be submitted to Parliament as soon as possible in order to bypass a controversial ruling that a divorced Copt can remarry, an official close to the Pontiff said Thursday. "Shenouda maintains constant contacts with Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mufied Shehab, who promised him that the new bill would provide a solution to the problem of Copts' remarriage," added the source who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. He added that Shehab had asked Shenouda to calm Copts' ire over the ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court. Several hundred Copts demonstrated in Cairo Wednesday evening to protest the ruling, which ordered their Church to allow its adherents to remarry, contrary to church doctrine. They gathered in front of St Mark's Cathedral, as the Church's leader, Pope Shenouda III, said the Coptic Orthodox Church would "not accept anything that goes against the Bible". "We trust President Hosni Mubarak, who is a president for all Egyptians. We also urge him to support Copts in this issue," Shenouda said. Last month, Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court ordered the church to allow its faithful to remarry, quashing an appeal by Shenouda. The Pontiff added that he would also file a memorandum with the Supreme Constitutional Court calling for the ruling to be cancelled as it "contradicts the Christian doctrine". The ruling related to the case of Hani Wasfi, who filed a complaint against the Pope's refusal to let him remarry after having been divorced. Copts forbid divorce except in proven cases of adultery, or if a spouse converts to another religion or branch of Christianity and certain other specific instances. Civil marriage alone, without a religious ceremony, is not recognised in Egypt. On Tuesday, Pope Shenouda urged the court to review its decision, “otherwise it would mean that Copts suffer and we are putting pressure on them through religion". "The Church respects the law but it does not accept judgements that go against the Gospels and against religious freedom, which is guaranteed by the Constitution," he said. "Marriage for us is a sacred and a religious act, not a simple administrative act," he continued, adding that the Church could "absolutely not apply" the court's decision. Copts make up around 10 per cent of the country's 80-million largely Muslim population, and are the Middle East's largest Christian community.
