A fire at a Coptic church in a popular neighborhood of Cairo on Sunday 14 killed 41 people and reached the largest Christian community in the Middle East, with between 10 and 15 million believers in Egypt.
The Coptic Church of Egypt reported “41 dead and 14 injured”, referring to “Ministry of Health sources” in a statement on its Facebook account.
This fire, whose source has not yet been determined, has already been brought under control, according to the authorities.
It took place in the church of Abou Sifine in the popular district of Imbaba, in honor of Saint Mercury of Caesarea, venerated by the Copts.
“I have mobilized all government services to ensure that all measures are taken,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi said on his Facebook account.
While the Ministry of Public Affairs announced that it had launched an investigation and sent a team to the scene to investigate the causes of the fire, the Ministry of Health stated that it had sent dozens of ambulances.
Sissi is also the head of the Christian community in Egypt since 2012, the Coptic Pope II. He announced that he had “spoken his condolences on the phone” to Tawadros.
The Coptic Orthodox Church is an outspoken supporter of Sisi, Egypt’s first president to attend the Coptic Christmas Mass each year. Under Tawadros’ leadership, he became more visible on the political scene and his predecessors sent representatives.
Accidental fires are not uncommon in the Cairo megalopolis, where millions of Egyptians live in informal settlements.
More generally, with precarious and neglected infrastructure, Egypt regularly suffers deadly fires in its various states.
At least 20 people died in a fire at a textile factory on the eastern outskirts of Cairo in March 2021.
In 2020, two hospital fires claimed the lives of fourteen Covid-19 patients.
Despite being numerous, Copts consider themselves underrepresented in politics and public office and complain about laws that are too restrictive for church building and far more liberal for mosques.
The subject is sensitive, and Coptic human rights activist Patrick Zaki was recently jailed for 22 months for “spreading false information” about an article exposing violations of Christian rights in Egypt.
Police also faced retaliation from Islamists, particularly after Sisi overthrew Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by setting churches, schools and homes on fire.
Sisi recently appointed a Coptic judge to preside over the Constitutional Court for the first time in history.
source: Noticias
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