The leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church discouraged dialogue with Jews. Pope Shenoudah said he encourages dialogue with Muslims and with other Christians, but not with Jews, adding that “not until Jerusalem is freed from the Israeli presence will the Orthodox Coptic Church go there,” according to the American Jewish Committee, which blasted the remarks. Rabbi David Rosen, the AJCommittee’s international director of interreligious affairs, condemned Shenoudah’s “hostile, prejudicial comment against the Jewish people in the strongest terms, and called on Christian leaders to communicate their own disapproval of Pope Shenoudah’s sentiments.” The AJCommittee added that the Coptic Church has an active presence in Jerusalem, where it is recognized and protected by the State of Israel.
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