The Egyptian Foreign Ministry and the Coptic Orthodox Church criticised in statements on Wednesday a suggested bill by the US Congress entailing the reparation of churches in Egypt.
The statement of the ministry said that the bill is being discussed in Congress, with no available details present.
Ahmed Abou Zaid, spokesperson of the ministry, said that this trend gives a foreign entity the right to intervene in the sovereignty of the country. He added that the ministry assigned the Egyptian embassy in the US to deal with the issue diplomatically.
Similarly, the Coptic Church condemned the suggestion, asserting that national unity tops all other issues.
According to the ministry’s statement, the bill entails the American secretary of state to present an annual report to the US Congress about efforts to repair damages sustained by Coptic properties in Egypt since 2013.
Abou Zaid accused the suggestion of presenting misleading information, while refusing allegations that Egypt witnessed a sectarian strife, and asserting that the country had witnessed terrorist attacks.
On 11 December, an attack on St. Peter and St. Paul Church claimed the lives of 24 people, injuring more than 40 others. The death toll rose to 27 in the past weeks.
Several churches were damaged after the forced dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya sit-in in 2013.
