THERE is a growing uneasi ness and apprehension among the Christian minorities in Cairo over restrictive measures by the Government tending to limit the sphere of Christian missionary activity.
Since Egypt is one of the signatories of the Declaration of Human Rights in the United Nations, Christians are anxious to see Article 18. which guarantees full religious freedom, more fully and sincerely complied with.
Special prayers have been offered in Cairo's Catholic churches for the full maintenance of human rights for all minority groups.
" If Egyptian Catholicism is to survive, it must learn to rely on Egyptian support." Fr. Henry Ayrout, S.J., told the Catholic Association of the Free Schools of Egypt at its 10th anniversary meeting in Cairo.
Fr. Ayrout founded the association.
Benefactors
Among those who joined the association's hundreds of workers, admirers and benefactors in marking the anniversary were Archbishop Levame, Papal Internuncio to Egypt. and His Beatitude Markos II Khouzam, Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria.
It was stated that the Catholic schools annual budget for upkeep is $50,000, of which none comes from invested capital, but as gifts from the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Church, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association of the United States, and European and some local benefactors.
Fr. Ayrout is trying to make Egyptian Catholics of all rites feel their great responsibility toward the schools.
On the other hand, the Egyptian Ministry of Public Health has issued an appeal to all Catholic religious orders and congregations to secure the service of nuns in Government hospitals in Cairo.
Although about 300 religious are employed in various State and private hospitals, this is the first time the Government has publicly called for the help of the sisters.
Besides board and room, the Government pays the sisters about $500 per year.
The sisters are allowed to open a chapel on the hospital premises.
Cardinal Gregory Peter XV, Agagianian, the Armenian Patriarch, 'was received by King Farouk on his way back to Beirut from Rome.
Cardinal Agagianian's mother and many relatives live in Akhaltzikhe, Russia, where His Eminence was born in 1895.