The leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church accused President Mohamed Morsi\u2019s government on Tuesday of \u201cdelinquency\u201d\u009d and \u201cmisjudgments\u201d\u009d for failing to prevent sectarian street-fighting that escalated into an attack on the church\u2019s main cathedral after a funeral mass over the weekend, leaving at least six Christians dead.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first time the main Coptic Orthodox Cathedral has been attacked in Egypt\u2019s history,\u201d\u009d the church leader, Pope Tawadros II, said in a television interview, faulting Mr. Morsi\u2019s government for failing to act fast enough to control the violence.<\/p>\n
Direct criticism of the government by an Egyptian church leader was all but unheard-of under former President Hosni Mubarak, whose ouster two years ago ended the fear of reprisals from the authorities that had helped silence church officials and others. But the pope\u2019s comments also highlighted the growing anxieties among Christian leaders about the subsequent rise to power of Mr. Morsi, a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and his Islamist allies.<\/p>\n