Saudi Arabia will construct 1st evangelical church soon

CAIRO – 8 April 2023: Saudi Arabia would construct the first evangelical church in the coming period, said Head of the Egyptian Evangelical Community in Egypt Andrea Zaki in media remarks, adding that the Kingdom is experiencing openness and development.

He added that the construction of a total of 500 churches has been legalized since the existence of the sect over the decades in Egypt, including 428 churches that were legalized over the past five years.

In early January 2023, Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church held the first-ever Christmas Eve mass in Saudi Arabia, according to the official magazine of the church “El-Keraza.”

On April 20, 2022, the Cabinet approved legalizing 238 unlicensed churches and affiliated buildings turning the total to 2,401.

The government made submitting reconciliation requests to legalize unlicensed constructions, mainly flat-buildings, mandatory in 2020 or demolition would be the fate of such units.

Unlicensed units were given ID numbers, and owners were given the option of paying the value of reconciliation in installments over three years.