Coptic Church under scrutiny

Christians women praying in church Cairo - Akram Ali A significant number of Egypt\'s Coptic scholars have urged for the re-examination of the Coptic Church’s financial system and called for the need to bring Church funds under the supervision of the Administrative Control Authority or of the Central Agency for Auditing (CAA). A Coptic writer and member of the previous parliament, Gamal Asaad, revealed to Arabstoday his intention to call for the subjection of the Church’s funds to external scrutiny, affirming that the Coptic Church “must pay taxes like the armed forces in accordance to the new constitution”. Likewise, Coptic intellectual Kamal Zakher welcomed the initiative and argued that monitoring the Church\'s funds was an inherent right of the State. On the other side,  the acting representative of the Coptic Church, Saint Pachomius, strongly rejected the introduction of any financial supervision, considering it persecution of the Coptic community by the State and interference into the Church’s spiritual affairs. The Coptic Church’s funds amount to billions annually from tithes, domestic and foreign donations, vows and remittances and include not only monasteries and churches, but also real estate, agricultural lands, hospitals, schools as well as financial projects.