CAIRO — Dozens of Christian Copts organized a protest inside the Cathedral of St. Mark in the Abbasiya district during the June 3 homily of Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and patriarch of Saint Mark, the 118th pope for the Christian Coptic Orthodox Church. The protesters shouted, “We want to remarry,” while the priests tried to contain the situation, but to no avail, prompting Tawadros to cancel his sermon.

The protesters were members of “The Victims of the Christian Personal Status Law,” a coalition run by civil-state advocates who are demanding that a civil status law for Copts be drafted to allow Copts to get a divorce and remarry. Egyptian police intervened upon the request of the church and arrested a number of protesters on charges of inciting riots.

The protesters were criticized for desecrating the church and interrupting the homily, which was being broadcast via server satellite channels. The Coptic Church also deemed the protesters’ demands as being in direct conflict with the church’s teachings.

Magdi Mehanna, who spoke for the coalition, told Al-Monitor that the group decided to protest after several futile attempts to meet with bishops to discuss the issue, as security officers denied the group access.