American religion delegation meets Coptic Pope

An American delegation investigating religious freedom in Egypt has met the head of the Egyptian Coptic Church, Pope Shenuda the third.

The delegation made no comment after the meeting the pope at his cathedral in Cairo.

The Coptic minority in Egypt complains of discrimination in many areas, including employment and the freedom to build churches.

The American visit has provoked angry reactions from Coptic as well as Muslim intellectuals, with some denouncing it as interference in Egyptian affairs.

The BBC Cairo correspondent says the visit puts the Coptic community in an awkward position, with many feeling uncomfortable with having their cause championed in the United States.

The American delegation's visit to Cairo is the first stop of a tour that will include Israel, the Palestinian territories and Saudi Arabia.

The delegation is from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom -- an independent advisory body set up in 1998 to report to the president and Congress.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service