Egypt's government allocates 30 acres to Coptic Church

Sherry El Gergawi , Wednesday 8 Apr 2015

The land allocated to the Coptic church will be used to build a place of worship as well as social and educational services

Cathedral
File photo: Thousands of mourners gather outside St Mark's Cathedral, Abbassiya to pay their respects to late Pope Shenouba III (Photo: Mai Shaheen)

The Egyptian government has approved the decision of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to allocate 30 feddans (1 feddan = 1.038 acres) to the Coptic Orthodox church in Cairo's upscale Fifth Settlement "El Tagamoa El Khames" district, Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab announced on Wednesday after a Cabinet meeting.  

"This place will deliver services to the residents of this district on both the spiritual and material level. It will include a church and buildings for social and educational services. Only one Orthodox church is located in this district and is not enough for the number of residents there," Fr. Boulos Halim, spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church, told Ahram Online

"We will not ordain any bishop to take care of this place- it will be under the direct supervision of Coptic Pope Tawadros II," added Halim.

The Coptic Orthodox Church represents around 90 percent of Egypt's Christians, who make up between 10-15 percent of the country's approximately 90 million people.

Short link: