The head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Shenouda III, in his weekly sermon on Wednesday ignored Christians' mounting demands for the right to divorce and remarry.
The sermon, instead, dealt with the issue of infidelity and family devotion.
Earlier this month, Christians staged a number of protests in front of the papal office in Cairo, demanding the church grant followers the right to divorce.
The church says divorce is permissible only in the case of adultery or religious conversion by either spouse. Some Copts, however, managed to obtain court rulings granting them the right to civil marriages. Civil marriages, which do not fall under the dominion of the Church, would allow Copts the ability to divorce and remarry.
However, Egyptian authorities have failed to implement the court rulings and only recognize Coptic marriages that are approved by the Church.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
