Coptic church denies lifting ban

By Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent 8/4/2012 Cairo: The Coptic Orthodox Church has denied lifting a ban on pilgrimage to occupied Jerusalem as more Egyptian Christians have flown to Israel to visit the holy city in the past few days. “We continue to follow in the footsteps of late Pope Shenouda III with regard to national and Arab causes as days have proven his far-sightedness,” the official Middle East News Agency quoted Bishop Pachomius, who became the acting pope, after Shenouda died last month. Shenouda barred Copts, who make up the majority of Egypt’s 10 million Christians, from visiting occupied Jerusalem due to its occupation by Israel