With Easter approaching, Christians all over the world think about taking a pilgrims trip to visit the holy city of Jerusalem and be blessed by places where Christ was born and lived. This religious tradition started 2000 years ago and is applied by all Christians except by the Copts.
Pope Shednouda III has issued a decree to ban traveling to Jerusalem until it's liberated. Those who don't obey that decisions are subject to ecclesiastic punishment including prevention from taking communion which is the same punishment for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit!
The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas had asked His Holiness Pope Shenouda to allow the Copts to visit Jerusalem in order to support the Palestinian issue.
On the constitutional scale, the decision violates freedom of traveling granted by the Egyptian constitution.
However, the great Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa and Popes of the Vatican had visited Jerusalem.
Recently, the Priest Polous Halim, spokesperson of the Coptic Orthodox Church, said the ecclesiastic punishments for visiting Jerusalem are still applied.
Therefore, I invite all Coptic Christians to visit Jerusalem in order to get closer to the life of Jesus Christ and not to allow some political decision to prevent them from taking such plessings. It's worth mentioning that 5000 Christians are going to visit Jerusalem in few days to be blessed by the holy light of the tomb of Jesus Christ. Many Happy Returns.
