Funerals held for victims of Egyptian church bombing

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has attended a state funeral for victims of an attack at Cairo's Coptic Christian cathedral. The bombing on Sunday killed at least 25 people, many of them women and children. Dozens more were injured. Mr Sisi said the attack caused 'pain to all Egyptians'.

Egypt is currently number 22 on the Open Doors World Watch List. The Christian minority in Egypt has frequently been targeted by Islamist militants.

Egyptian authorities said that three men and a woman had been arrested in connection with the attack, and named Shafik Mahmoud Mohamed Mostafa, 22, as the suicide bomber.

The attack has since been claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS) in a statement, although they named the attacker as Abu Abdallah al-Masri.

Praying for God's peace and protection

Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, released a statement which said, "Our prayers are with those whose lives have been so senselessly ended, those who have been injured, and every family and community affected.

"We share in this tragedy, but are encouraged by the strength and resilience of our brethren in Egypt that we have grown accustomed to and learn from. We pray God's peace and protection upon the Christians of Egypt, the broader Egyptian society, Christians around the world and all faith communities that fall prey to similar attacks."

Source: Open Doors; BBC

Please pray:

• For peace and protection for Egyptian Christians, especially around Christmas time
• That Christians in Egypt will be treated with justice and fairness
• That all the projects run through Open Doors partners in Egypt will be able to continue safely.