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Pope sticks with plan to visit Egypt as bomb-victim ‘angels’ buried
POPE FRANCIS, undaunted by the twin bombings of Coptic churches on Palm Sunday, will bring a message of peace and solidarity to Egypt, Catholic officials said Monday.
The Pope’s commitment came as Christians in Egypt buried loved ones a day after ISIS suicide bombers struck — killing at least 45 people.
“Egyptians are looking forward to Pope Francis’ visit, although the atmosphere at present is heavy,” Father Rafic Grieche, spokesman for the Egyptian bishops, told Catholic News Service by email Monday.
“The pope’s mission is to be beside his brothers at the time of difficulty,” he added. “Now is the real time that he can bring peace and hope to the Egyptian people as a whole and to the Christians of the East, in particular.”
In the coastal city of Alexandria, grief and anguish were on display Monday as mourners wailed over dozens of caskets during funerals at the St. Mina monastery. At least 17 people were killed at the city’s St. Mark’s Cathedral on Sunday.
Some mourners collapsed near the caskets, which were emblazoned with the word “martyr.”
Coptic priests, boy scouts, and relatives carrying flowers marched into the church to the somber beat of snare drums.
A similar scene took place a day earlier in Tanta, where at least 28 people were killed inside St. George’s Church.
Rev. Danial Maher, of the Tanta church, lost his 23-year-old son, Beshoy, who was among six deacons killed. He recalled watching his son wearing white vestments and singing. “He was like an angel,” he said.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi declared a state of emergency, amid fears that ISIS militants are shifting their focus to Egypt’s Coptic minority.
In December, a church bombing killed 30 people in Cairo, and a series of killings in the Sinai peninsula have caused hundreds to flee their homes.
Israel, meanwhile, closed its Taba border crossing to Egypt after its anti-terrorism office warned of an “imminent” militant attack there. The closure came hours before the start of the Passover holiday.
Egypt’s state of emergency order will likely allow for arrests without warrants.
The country’s interior ministry also said on Monday that seven ISIS militants were killed during a security operation in the southern city of Assiut. The ministry alleged the group was plotting attacks against Christians.