The leader of Southern California's Coptic Orthodox Church canceled a trip to Egypt amid concerns he might be detained if the Egyptian government launches an investigation into whether he is connected to the anti-Islamic video that has sparked violent protests.
Bishop Serapion, the head of the Coptic Diocese in Los Angeles, has denied involvement and denounced the video, "Innocence of Muslims." He had planned to go to Egypt on Monday to participate in the church's search for a new pope.
Those plans were scuttled on Friday, when church officials said they learned from Arabic-language media reports that Egypt's attorney general had been asked to investigate whether the bishop is connected to the video, which has led to violence in the Middle East and Africa.
"With astonishment, we, the priests and deacons of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, reject the false association of the name of our beloved bishop, His Grace Bishop Serapion, with the story of the condemned film that is offensive to Muslims and Christians alike," the diocese said. "We…strongly reject the request sent to the Egyptian Attorney General to investigate His Grace Bishop Serapion's alleged involvement with the film."
Egyptian officials couldn't be reached for comment.
Federal officials say they believe Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a Coptic Christian living in Southern California, is behind the almost-14-minute video, which ridicules Islam. Mr. Nakoula, who is believed to be in hiding, told the Associated Press that he was involved in the film but later denied it.
The bishop, who goes by the title Bishop Serapion, said he hadn't heard of Mr. Nakoula until last week, when, he said, Mr. Nakoula called him to deny any involvement with the video. At a news conference this week with Muslim leaders to denounce the video, Bishop Serapion said he told Mr. Nakoula during that phone call that the video went against the teachings of the church.
Bishop Serapion had planned to attend a meeting of Coptic leaders in Egypt as part of a committee to select the next pope of Alexandria, the ultimate leader of the Coptic Church. The former leader, Pope Shenouda III, died in March.
Marion Bishay, a spokeswoman for the church in Southern California and a lawyer, said she and other lawyers advised the bishop not to attend because he "could be targeted or arrested" if an investigation moves forward.
Ms. Bishay said that according to information from Egypt and media reports, Khaled Al Masry, a member of the political office of the Salafi Front, an Islamist advocacy group, submitted the bishop's name to the attorney general to investigate since the bishop is the head of the diocese in which the alleged video maker lived.
"It's just astonishing," she said. "He has nothing at all to do with it."
The Salafi Front confirmed on its official Facebook page that it had submitted a request to investigate Bishop Serapion.
Coptic leaders in the U.S. estimate there are about one million Coptic Christians in the nation and 30,000 in Southern California. But they say they believe those numbers have grown in the past year as Coptic Christian immigrants flood into the U.S. to escape upheaval in Egypt
