Egyptian Coptic pilgrims have returned from Jerusalem following a religious trip during which they toured Christian landmarks and attended Easter celebrations.
Most of the 101 pilgrims are Catholics who headed to the city after Aarsena Travel Company in Egypt had announced it would for the first time transport Christian pilgrims to the holy lands in Jerusalem.
The trip defied instructions by Egypt’s late Coptic Pope Shenouda III, who had repeatedly reiterated his refusal to allow Egyptian Copts to travel to Jerusalem while it is still under Israeli occupation.
“The Copts will not travel to Jerusalem, except in the company of their fellow Muslims,” the pope, who died in mid-March, was quoted as saying.
Father Misael of the Saint Helena Chapel, which represents the Egyptian section of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, had barred the Egyptian visitors from attending the Easter celebrations, saying that the directives made by Egypt’s late pope must be respected.
Visiting religious landmarks in the occupied Palestinian territories have long been a controversial issue among religious scholars and activists. While some believe such visits would grant the Israeli occupation legitimacy by seeking Israeli visa approvals, others deem them necessary as a form of defiance to the occupation and an attempt to emphasize Arab presence in the occupied lands.
In March, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, condemned visits to Jerusalem following an invitation by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Arab leaders and Muslim and Christians citizens to visit the city.
Abbas’ remarks drew angry comments from Palestinian officials who said his stance serves the interests of the Israeli occupation.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
