Egypt has recalled its ambassador to the Vatican following "unacceptable" remarks by Pope Benedict XVI, in which he had demanded that world governments, including Cairo, should do more to ensure Christians can practice their faith without discrimination or violence.
The move was prompted by new remarks by the Vatican which Egypt considers as an "unacceptable interference in its internal affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Husam Zaki said.
Zaki said that Foreign Minister Ahmed Abu-al-Ghayt sent a message to the Vatican after its earlier remarks on the conditions of Copts in Egypt and the relationship between Egyptian Muslims and Copts.
In his message, the minister asserted Egypt's keenness on averting any religiously-based tension on its land, he said.
"Egypt will not allow non-Egyptians to interfere in its internal affairs under any pretext," the spokesman said.
In a speech on Monday to ambassadors accredited to the Vatican, Benedict cited recent attacks on Christians in Egypt, Iraq and Nigeria, and said these governments must take more effective measures to protect religious minorities.
A bomb attack had killed 21 worshippers at an Alexandria church on New Year's Eve, that led to accusations by Egypt's Christians that the government does little to protect them.
"....This succession of attacks is yet another sign of the urgent need for the governments of the region to adopt, in spite of difficulties and dangers, effective measures for the protection of religious minorities," Benedict had said.