Posted on: November 1, 2016 10:46 AM

[ACNS, by Gavin Drake] A court in Egypt has postponed a hearing to determine whether the Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa can regain its independence. Today’s hearing was the first stage of a legal claim to overturn a previous decision which says that the diocese should be considered part of the Evangelical Church Association, a Presbyterian denomination.

“At the hearing, our lawyer was very surprised to find the lawyer of the Evangelical Church Association (ECA) was also present, and was asking the judge to intervene,” Archbishop Mouneer Anis said. “He asked the judge to refuse our request. The judge ignored that, and postponed the hearing. . .

“During the hearing, our lawyer explained that, for many decades, the diocese has been recognised as a foreign church. It is our request to be recognised as one of the national churches in Egypt. However, the ECA . . . don’t want this to happen, in order that we would be under their authority.

“The ECA’s request to intervene in this court case is proof enough that it is they, rather than the government, who want us to be under them.”

The hearing will resume on 13 December.

Archbishop Mouneer expressed his “sincere gratitude” for prayers that have been said since news of the legal struggle emerged last week; and he asked that people continue to pray about the situation.