Twenty-one churches in Egypt’s southern rural Minya governorate can restore, expand and rebuild their churches after receiving approval from the Minya Governor.
Governor Essam al-Bedeiwi approved the 21 applications over the last six months. Some of the churches had been waiting for more than 20 years for a permit to come through.
On 17 November an evangelical church in Tama, Sohag governorate, also received permission to renovate its building.
Some analysts note that the approvals have preceded several visits by international evangelical delegations to Cairo.