Coptic Christmas, celebrated on January 6-7, will be remembered as the first time ever that the President of Egypt appeared in Egypt's most important church to congratulate the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch and all Egyptian Christians on the occasion. Every year, in a packed cathedral, the Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the midnight liturgy for the birth of Christ. People show up early in the evening to get a seat even though the liturgy doesn't begin until 11am when the Patriarch makes his entrance with the procession of bishops, priests and deacons. The long midnight liturgy lasts 4-5 hours and is a major public event that is one of the few to be covered by the official news media.
This year, for the first time, the president showed up during the liturgy. Everyone was surprised, the joy was great, and the congregation in the church applauded the President as he and the Patriarch embraced and kissed each other on the cheek. The president expressed that the country and its people are one, and Egypt's Christians and many others are now hoping that this crucial symbolic gesture can counteract the divisions that Egyptian society has suffered for many years. For years, many Muslim religious leaders have tried to influence Muslims not to wish Christians well on religious holidays and not to enter churches and monasteries. They have succeeded to some extent, while other Muslims have strongly insisted that both Christians and Muslims are equal citizens. Let's hope that these attitudes will now prevail.
However, it is disheartening that the policing of Egypt's churches has had to be stepped up in recent years, especially around the major holidays. Both a Christian and a Muslim police officer lost their lives in a shooting attack on January 6 in front of a church in a central square in the city of al-Minya, some 200 km south of Cairo. However, the church and the congregation itself were not hit. Therefore, the incident can be seen more as an attack on the government as the past year and a half has seen many attacks by Islamists, both against the police and the armed forces. In general, however, the security has had the desired preventive effect as there have been no reports of serious attacks on churches in Egypt this Christmas.
In one place, a church and its decorations were burned down by unknown perpetrators. It happened in the village of Higaza in the province of Qena. However, it was a temporary church, actually just a large pavilion used by the congregation because its actual church building is in need of extensive renovation. The pastor of the church ruled out that a spark from the electrical installations could have caused the fire as it only started after the service was over and the electrical equipment had been turned off. In other words, the fire must have been arson, but it would probably be futile to try to find the perpetrators. In the picture you can see how the nativity scene is destroyed by the fire. The pastor and congregation choose to look on the bright side: "We will rebuild the church and it will be better for everyone in the congregation... no one can tear the joy out of our hearts!"
