Egyptian bishop backs newly drafted constitution

January 20, 2014 - A Catholic Coptic bishop has said he “very strongly” encourages Christians to accept Egypt's draft constitution, voted on last week, citing the autonomy it grants to Christians, Muslims and Jews. “If the constitution is really taken seriously then the situation of Christians in Egypt will improve considerably,” Bishop Kyrillos William Samaan of the Coptic Assiut Diocese told Aid to the Church in Need last week. He said the new document is without doubt an improvement on what was applied under the Muslim Brotherhood. The constitution was the subject of a referendum Jan. 14-15. The Egyptian constitution had been under revision since December 2013. Representatives of Egypt’s Churches, including Coptic Catholic Bishop Antonios Mina of Guizeh, were involved in the review process before the draft was submitted to interim president Adi Mansour for approval. Bishop William Samaan said the Christian community is very happy with the draft constitution, which has strong support from the Christian media. He said the proposed constitution “guarantees Christians and Jews autonomy in matters regarding civil status and internal affairs.” It grants Muslims, Christians and Jews “the same right to build places of worship.” (Source: CWN)