Security has been tightened by the Coptic Church in Egypt in advance of Pope Shenouda III's Wednesday sermon following threats made by the Iraqi wing of al-Qaeda against Egyptian churches detaining two women who have converted to Islam.
 
Papal sources reveal that the pope may in fact cancel festivities marking the 39th anniversary of his ascension to the papacy next month for security reasons.Those attending the sermon will be asked to show identification cards, be subject to searches and pass through metal detectors.
 
In a statement the Muslim Brotherhood condemned the al-Qaeda killings of 60 people on a Baghdad church describing it as a heinous crime. It also criticized the threat, and called on Egyptians to protect all places of worship for the believers of all religions. The group highlighted that Islam has never sanctioned violence and in fact calls on its believers to demonstrate tolerance stressing that the killings of innocent people regardless of religion is an atrocious sin.