In October the Egyptian government has legalised 293 church buildings, bringing the total of legalised churches to 3,453 according to a government committee set up to oversee a process of giving churches legal protection.
The committee is chaired by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, which includes representatives of government agencies and christian denominations. It was set up in 2017 to improve protections for churches Ahranonline reports. Every few months, hundreds of churches are approved.
The system replaced earlier rules which had security services involved in approvng churches.
Open Doors reports the Egyptian government pledge to approve church buildings as a postive sign. But they also note that “Christians in rural regions and urban areas with low socioeconomical development, continue to risk violence and experience discrimination.”
Image: Church of St. George in Old Cairo. Egypt. Image Credit: Wikivoyage WTS