AFRICA/EGYPT - The government urges to publish the executive regulations of the law on the construction of churches

Wednesday, 6 September 2017 oriental churches   middle east  

Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - Egyptian deputy Mohamed Fouad, a member of the Urban Planning Committee, in an appeal has urged Prime Minister Sherif Ismail to publish the executive regulations of the new law on the construction of churches. This law, approved after a long parliamentary procedure on August 30, 2016, had received the consent of the Synod of the Orthodox Coptic Church, but more than a year later, the failure to publish executive regulations of the law continues to fuel confusion and problems in many local situations. On August 30, 2016, the approval of the law took place in a relaxed climate, with some parliamentarians screaming slogans like "long live the cross and crescent". According to the new law, Provincial Governors will have to respond within four months to requests for the construction of new churches submitted by Christian communities. In the event of a refusal, the governor must motivate his decision, and the community has the right to appeal to the administrative courts. The law, among other things, stipulates that "the church surface must be adequate to the number of citizens belonging to the Christian community, and must take into account the growth of the population". An indication criticized at the time by many for its vagueness. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 6/9/2017)


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