Continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Egypt, especially this Easter weekend. Thank God that we worship freely in the United States.

 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Eph. 2:19-22)

View Comments (2)

“The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Minya, located in southern Egypt, said Tuesday that commemorations of the Resurrection of Jesus will be limited to the liturgical prayers “without any festive manifestations” out of respect for the faithful who were slain by suicide bombers of the Islamic State. . . .

Christians in Minya have lived in constant fear of attacks from the area’s large Salafi Muslim population. In certain local villages, the faithful celebrate Mass before a cross drawn on a wall, making it easy to erase quickly in order to avoid attacks.” (Excerpted from Breitbart.com, reporting by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.)

The Pew Research Center reported on Tuesday that of the top 25 most populous countries, Egypt ranked in the top five for restrictions on religion and hostilities involving religion. Only one other country was ranked in the top five for both—Russia. (Pew Research Center, April 11, 2017)