Fire breaks out in Shubra al-Kheima church; no casualties

CAIRO – 11 June 2018: The Civil Defense Forces in Qalioubiya managed to put out the fire that erupted on Monday in Anba Makar's church in Shubra al-Kheima, Qalioubiya with no casualties reported.

A security source at the Civil Defense Forces in Qalioubiya said a huge fire broke out in Anba Makar's church in Shubra al-Kheima, Qalioubiya as the wooden scaffoldings surrounding the Church caught fire, which then ripped through the church's building.

He added that there are not any casualties as the church is under construction and the Civil Defense Forces managed to put out the fire.

Major General Ehab Khairat, director of Qalioubia Security, was notified of the fire, and ten ambulances were dispatched to the site to extinguish the fire before sweeping through nearby buildings.

On a different note, the Cabinet approved the legislation proposed by its committee to legalize unlicensed churches and services buildings. The legislation is set to legalize 166 churches and buildings across the country.

The committee was formed by the Cabinet and was assigned to rectify the status of churches that are not yet licensed in accordance with the 2016 law regulating the construction and renovation of churches.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly issued a decision to provide all possible means to speed up the procedures for legalizing unlicensed churches nationwide.

Formed in January 2017, the committee was empowered to study and verify applications submitted by Christian congregations to legalize the status of churches and attached places of worship.

According to official statistics from 2011, Egypt has 2,869 churches and over 108,000 mosques.

The Coptic Orthodox Church has collected 2,500 requests from all parishes, all of which meet the requirements, a source from the church stated, pointing out that some date back to the days when Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire.