HG Bishop Beyman: restoration of the rest of the churches destroyed after breaking up “Rabaa sit-in” will be completed by the end of the year

Three years after the break up of Rabaa and Nahda sit-in, and the subsequent hostile acts against the Copts in Egypt, which led to the destruction of a number of churches mostly in Upper Egypt, and prompted Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark Church of the Copts Orthodox to say then that “A homeland without churches better than churches without a homeland”.

HG Bishop Beyman, Bishop of Nekada and Qus and the one in charge of renovation of destroyed churches file said, reconstruction of the last 28 site is underway to finish the work by the end of the year, according to the promise of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. His Grace said:”Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces, has completed restoration of 10 sites by 100 %, and 10 other by 85%, the remaining eight sites have been completed by 70 to 75%, thus remaining 48 site will be completed including churches so more than a total of 63 church will be restored.

He added: “The first phase included 10 sites, second phase included 10 sites, third phase included 28 sites plus most of the churches in the republic provinces, including the northern Sinai, Arish church, St. George Church in El-Arish, where it’s pastor Rafael Mousa was martyred in June.”

The churches that were destroyed were in Fayoum, Minya including centers like Samalout, Abo Korkas, Beni Mazar, Malawi and Deir Mawas, and including churches belonging to the Evangelical Church, also in Sohag, and Cairo in Ezbet El-Nakhl and Kerdasa where Archangel Michael Church was burned, Giza Diocese was also attacked, in addition to Beni Suef Diocese Orthodox Church, and nun school of the Catholic Church Franciscan, churches had also been attacked in Assiut, Qena, Alexandria, Al-Gharbia, Suez, North Sinai and Luxor.

President al-Sisi, had promised in last Christmas Mass at the cathedral of St. Mark in Abbasia, to complete the restoration of the rest of the churches that were burned after the break up of Rabaa and Nahda sit-ins in August 14, 2013, announcing his apology and his emphasis that at the end of the year the reform plan will be accomplished.

Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces bore all the costs to rebuild the churches, except small number of churches that had partial ruptures.