An Egyptian pope has stepped in to try to resolve a church row that has caused 20 worshippers to go on hunger strike.

The Argus revealed on Tuesday how hundreds of protesters had occupied the St Mary and St Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church in Hove after their priest's departure.

Twenty of the demonstrators started a hunger strike at 8am yesterday.

They vowed to continue until the leader of the Egypt-based church, Pope Shenouda III, sent new delegates to conduct an inquiry into the dispute.

The Pope has been in daily contact with Bishop Daniel Anthony, who was sent from Sydney earlier this month to oversee Father Zakaria Botros Henein's departure.

The bishop said he was merely carrying out a Papal decree approving Fr Zakaria's request to retire after 12 years in charge.

But Fr Zakaria and his supporters claim he was forced to go and that the bishop's behaviour is responsible for divisions at the Davigdor Road church.

Fr Zakaria yesterday urged the hunger strikers to start eating again. Two of them are thought to have kidney problems.

He said: "I think they are right to want a new, independent team to be sent over but it is dangerous to go on hunger strike. This saddens me."

Bishop Daniel was expected to make an announcement at the church last night about the Pope's wishes.

One of the bishop's allies said: "The Pope has been very worried about what has gone on this week. He has been trying to make peace from Egypt.

"Twenty people out of 1,500 worshippers at our church is not a huge number. We cannot understand what they are doing or why."

Antonyus Phillips, of Kemp Town, Brighton, one of the hunger strikers, vowed to continue for as long as necessary.

He said: "This is not just about Fr Zakaria leaving.

"It is about the way the bishop and his colleagues have destroyed the peace of our church."

About 100 people have been sleeping downstairs in the church since Friday while services have continued upstairs.

But other members of the local Sudanese community are glad the priest has gone.

Dr Wagdi Habib, chairman of the Sudanese Coptic Association, said: "Although our role was political, not spiritual, he tried to demolish us.

"He wanted to take over all our activities helping the community.

"We wrote to the Pope about Fr Zakaria's dictatorial style. We are relieved there has been this change."