Building, restoration, and legalisation of unlicensed churches: Seven-year tally

I have regularly followed up on the legalisation of unlicensed churches and Church affiliated buildings in Egypt since the process began on 28 September 2017, one year on the passage of the 2016 Law for the Building and Restoration of Churches. The 2016 law was the first ever in Egypt to govern the building and restoration of churches, and it made provision for the legalisation of already existing unlicensed churches and Church affiliated buildings.

Until the Law for Building and Restoring Churches was passed in Egypt in September 2016, it was next to impossible for Copts to obtain official licence to build or restore a church, leading them to term these long decades, centuries even, “the crisis era”. Copts, who direly needed churches in view of the growing congregation and declining conditions of existing churches, resorted to circumventing the law and building churches without licence. The 2016 law stipulates a straightforward, time limited legal procedure for obtaining licence to build or restore a church or affiliated building, and includes provisions for legalising already existing ones.

DWD L has been regular in publishing the successive lists of churches and buildings approved for legalisation by the Cabinet-affiliated committee charged with that task. The committee issues approvals every few weeks for legalisation of batches of churches and buildings in various regions in Egypt, belonging to the Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Coptic Churches.

Today, I review the most recent achievement by the Cabinet affiliated committee, which was printed in the official paper on 9 January as Cabinet Decision 3 for 2022. It concerns approvals for legalisation of the 22nd batch of churches and affiliated buildings comprising 141 buildings of which 50 are churches and 91 are Church community service centres. This brings the number of buildings approved for legality in the span of 51.5 months up to 2162 out of a total 3730 that had originally applied for legality, that is 58 per cent of the total. The number of buildings awaiting legality approvals now stands at 1618, that is 48 per cent of the total. At this rate, it can be expected that the Cabinet committee would not complete the legalisations required before another 38.5 months, meaning that it would have taken seven years and six months to complete its task.

As in earlier approvals for legalisation, the batch of buildings approved were categorised into five sets. It must be noted that final legality of a building is subject to the conditions that it meets the requirements of structural soundness and those of civil defence, that any outstanding or required dues be paid, and that ownership of the land on which the building is constructed is in no way disputed.

The first set of the most recent approvals cites churches and Church affiliated community centres approved for legality provided they complete the civil defence requirements. This set includes 39 churches and 64 community centres, a total 103 buildings in the governorates of Alexandria, Sharqiya, Menoufiya, Daqahliya, Minya, Assiut, Sohag, and Cairo.

The second set of buildings was approved for legality provided any dues owed to the State are paid, and that there would be no dispute concerning ownership of the land they are built on. This set includes six churches and 16 community centres, a total 22 buildings in the governorates of Alexandria, Menoufiya, Daqahliya, Minya, Assiut, and Qena.

The remaining sets include approvals for 16 buildings—five churches and 11 community centres—that need restoration or demolition and rebuilding. The Cabinet decision requires the relevant authorities to issue the necessary permits for restoration or rebuilding basing on the same area, height, and location of the original buildings.

As we embark on a new year, I would like to review the number of churches legally built or restored during the last seven years from 2014 to 2021. I see the figures as cause for great comfort because they truly reflect a new spirit of easing the building of churches, following long decades of “crisis era”.

To start with, 75 churches destroyed by the Muslim Brothers in 2013 were restored or rebuilt by the Egyptian Armed Forces.

In 2014, seven pieces of land were allocated for building churches in the new towns of AlObour, New Fayoum, New Tiba, New Sohag, and New Cairo.

In 2015, five plots of land were allocated for building new churches in New Tiba, 10th of Ramadan City, alShorouq, Al-Obour, 6th October City.

In 2016, nine plots of land were allocated for new churches in New Salhiya, 6th October City, New Fayoum, New Aswan, 15th May Town, New Minya, New Assiut, and Badr Town.

In 2018, ten plots of land were allocated for new churches in New Sohag, New Qena, Sadat City, 10th of Ramadan City, Nasser Town, and the New Capital.

In 2019, ten plots of land were allocated for new churches in New Mansoura, Hadayeq October, Beni Sweif, Badr, Nasser, New Sohag.

In 2020, ten plots of land were allocated for new churches in Sadat City, New 6th of October, Hadayeq October, New Beni Sweif, New Sohag, Qena West, Nasser, and New Mansoura.

In 2021, five plots of land were allocated for new churches in New Obour, the New Capital, New Cairo, and New Dumyat.

I wish all my readers a new year during which we take in together the spirit of the New Republic, inhaling the fragrance of full citizenship rights, freedom of worship, and equality.