Almost 30 people, mostly Christian Copts, were killed in Egypt in violence apparently based in religious discord.
We express our sincere sympathy and pray for the people of Egypt and the Coptic Church who have suffered recent violence and death arising from religious discord. The Rt. Rev. Munib Younan, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and President of the Lutheran World Federation, released a statement detailing his concern and prayers over the recent violence and killings:
In light of recent events, we are concerned that the fair implementation of freedom of religion for all Egyptians is not yet a reality—freedom to build houses of worship and to worship in security, regardless of religion, denomination, or sect.
We call upon all in leadership roles to ensure this freedom for all Egyptians alike and to protect its citizens against those few extremists —whatever their religion — who are self‐centered in their aims and violent in their actions. We mourn with the families and friends of those citizens of Egypt who were killed this week. We hope that no further casualties will occur.
We pray for the people of Egypt and especially our sisters and brothers in the Christian community. We urge the intermediary government and the military to cease all violence against civilians, to hold those accountable to justice, and to lead the country with integrity so that a new government can be democratically elected.
