Police Slow to Investigate Burned Church in Egypt

ASSIST News Service reports that a Coptic Church northwest of Cairo, Egypt, was burnt on Tuesday, September 8. No one was injured, but area Christians feel that police are turning a blind eye. There were conflicting reports as to the cause of the fire, the Egyptian police told the media that it was caused by a "short circuit" even before carrying out an arson investigation, while others believe it was arson. Church authorities, however, have declined to comment on the situation until the police finish their investigation. The fire began midafternoon, after people had left morning services. Bystanders outside the church who saw the blaze inside discovered that the church doors' were locked, preventing them from containing the blaze. "Only the Holy Alter remained miraculously unharmed, but all the Saints' relics, icons and pictures were reduced to charcoal," commented a church worker.