AFRICA/EGYPT - Laying of the foundation stone of the church dedicated to the "Martyrs of Libya"

Minya (Agenzia Fides) - Today, Wednesday, April 1, the laying of the first stone of the church dedicated to the "Martyrs of Libya", the 21 Egyptian Copts killed in Libyan territory by jihadists last January, was held in the village of Al Awar, near Samalot. This is what local sources reported to Agenzia Fides. The village is located 25 kilometers from Minya, in the province where most of the victims come from. The initiative was also attended by representatives of the local Islamic community.
The governor of Minya had held a meeting of the Conciliation Committee with representatives of elders and influential Christian and Muslim family clans in the area. Senior representatives of the army and security forces also participated in the meeting. The meetings of conciliation and the intervention of the judiciary and the military was also necessary to overcome protests and resistances that local Islamist groups had put in place in an attempt to block the proposed construction of the church, which was sponsored by the government. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 01/04/2015)