Egypt's cabinet legalizes 216 unlicensed churches, service buildings

CAIRO – 15 May 2023: Egypt’s Cabinet approved on Monday the legalization of 216 unlicensed churches and service buildings, raising the total number of legalized churches and buildings to 2815.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli headed on Monday, meeting of a committee in charge of legalizing the status of unlicensed churches and its service buildings in the presence of Minister of Justice Amr Marwan.

Cabinet spokesman Nader Saad said the meeting reviewed the outcome of the committee proceedings, adding the committee agreed to legalize the status of 216 churches to bring the total number of legalized churches and buildings to 2815.

In 2017, the committee responsible for churches legalization was formed, under prime minister and six other ministers, along with representatives from churches and bodies concerned.

The Cabinet’s decision to legalize the status of churches comes according to 2016's article number 80 of the law regulating building churches.