A committee headed by Prime Minister and Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly approved the legalization of 168 churches and buildings, oficially legalizing 151, and requiring documents for the remaining 17 to be fully legalized.
In a meeting attended by ministers of justice, antiquities, and parliamentary affairs, as well as other concerned authorities, the legalization committee reviewed studies carried out over the past two months on the conditions of the churches that have requested legalization.
Madboubly asked Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawi to submit a follow-up report to the committee’s next meeting, containing the findings of smaller, governorate-specific committees formed by Madbouly to follow up on church legalization.
These smaller committees include representatives of NGOs, Christian sects, and other relevant authorities.
Medbouly also instructed setting a time frame, during which the conditions of churches and buildings that meet the conditions of Law No. 80 of 2016 will be finalized.
To date, the committee has legalized a total of 508 churches and buildings since its founding.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm.
