The Coptic Orthodox Church in Jerusalem issued a statement regarding the Coptic Orthodox Monastery “Es-Sultan” in Jerusalem.
The statement began with a historical brief of the monastery, which explained that the Sultan Abdul Malek bin Marwan, gave the monastery the monastery to the Copts in the seventh century AD, and that the ownership of the Coptic Orthodox Church of the monastery was confirmed during the reign of Sultan Salah al-din al-ayoubi in the twelfth century AD.
The Church statement said that on September 22, a small stone fell from the ceiling of the Church of the Angel Michael, one of the churches of Deir Es-Sultan, which led to the closure of the church by the Department of Dangerous Buildings in the municipality of Jerusalem until the completion of the mends.
The statement pointed out that preliminary consultations and inspections of mending the damage was done without notifying the Coptic Church owner of the property.
The Coptic Church expressed its displeasure to departments and authorities concerned for neglecting them dueing consultations and submitted a written request to do the necessary reforms at its own expense which was rejected. The government offered to implement the mends as a neutral body, and the Church had some conditions for acceptance.
The statement added that on Thursday evening, the engineer appointed by the government tried to enter the equipment to start the restoration without informing the Coptic Church. The monks, deacons and ministers of the monastery, headed by Anba Anthonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem, rushed to protest in a peaceful manner. In order to safeguard the rights of the Church.
The statement pointed out that the Egyptian embassy intervened in the matter, which led to postponement of the work until the prior a documented coordination with the church. He pointed out that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stands firmly in support of the Coptic Church in its legitimate claim to restore the Egyptian Coptic antiquity. As Es-Sultan monastery care Egypt government as well as the Church.
