Pope Shenouda lauds Mubarak peace efforts

Pope Shenouda III and Patriarch of St. Mark diocese lauded President Hosni Mubarak's decisive procedures and contacts to put an end to the massacres of the Palestinians by Israeli army. Israelis have stormed Palestinian self-rule areas, attacked religious sites, including the church of nativity, and hindering media men from reaching the afflicted areas, he added.

In a statement read out by bishop Sharobim AL Bakhoumi, Deputy Patriarch of Orthodox Church in Alexandria, Pope Shenouda said the aggression of the Israeli army against the unarmed Palestinians and their leader Yasser Arafat was discussed by the members of the church during their meeting.

We call on the international community to exert its best efforts to put an end to the deteriorating situation and send international security troops to the Palestinian territories to protect the unarmed Palestinians.