Cairo, Egypt - The head of the Coptic Church in Egypt has warned followers that the police in the country are wiretapping their calls and said they should not confess sins over the phone, media reported Wednesday.
Pope Shenouda III has said police listen in on calls and the confessor could end up "seeking absolution in prison," according to al-Masri al-Youm paper.
The remark was seen as they latest sign of a deterioration in relations between some state institutions and Egypt's largest religious minority, the Christian Copts, who comprise some 10 per cent of the population.
In one of several ongoing feuds, the church and the state argued over a recent Egyptian court ruling allowing Coptic Christians to remarry after divorce, something which is strictly forbidden under the church's teaching.
Also, over the last year, violent clashes have taken place in the country's south between Muslims and Christians.