(Via email–KSH).
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
I do request your urgent prayers as the situation here in Cairo is very inflamed. Many Christians demonstrated after the incident of the burning of a church building in Mari Nab near Aswan (Egypt). The demonstrations started peacefully as the people were requesting that investigations for the incidents of burning and demolishing churches would be completed and the new law for building churches, that was promised four months ago, would be passed.
This evening it turned to be very violent between demonstrators and the military. More than 20 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
Tomorrow there will be a large meeting for the House of Bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church and political leaders will have a separate meeting to discuss a way out of this very difficult situation. I would appreciate your prayers for our beloved country.We will hold prayer meetings tomorrow and I hope that I can meet with Muslim religious leaders in order to discuss a way forward for the situation.
Thank you for your prayers.
–The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis
Bishop of the Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt
with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
President Bishop of the Episcopal / Anglican
Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East
Our little problems here fade dramatically when considered alongside those of our brothers and sisters in Egypt. Thank you for this reminder that they need our prayers.
Here is a quote from CNN
“Cairo (CNN) — The number of dead in clashes between the army and pro-Coptic Christian protesters in Egypt over the weekend rose to at least 25, with at least 272 wounded, a Health Ministry official told CNN Monday.
Conflicting reports from the two sides indicated the death toll could be as high as 29 in violence that an army spokesman speculated may have been guided by a “hidden hand” associated with neither side.
[i]Many of the casualties had been crushed by speeding military vehicles, said Dr. Adel al-Dawi of the ministry.[/i]”
[b] Christians crushed by military tanks? Is thre a shortage of lions in Egypt?[/b].
Prayers for Archbishop Mouneer and the diocese of Egypt and for peace for all its peoples.