Another Attack on Christians in Egypt

By Susan Wright | 8:45 AM on December 29, 2017

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FILE - In this Sunday, May 22, 2016 file photo, A Coptic Christian grieves during prayers for the departed, remembering the victims of Thursday's crash of EgyptAir flight 804, at Al-Boutrossiya Church, the main Coptic Cathedral complex, in Cairo, Egypt. Human remains retrieved from the crash site of EgyptAir Flight 804 suggest there was an explosion on board that may have brought down the aircraft in the east Mediterranean, a senior Egyptian forensics official said on Tuesday, May 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

#21.

According to OpenDoorsUSA.org, an organization that tracks Christian persecution around the world, Egypt ranks #21 in the world on the watchlist for those critical areas, with a 65 rating (very high persecution).

I just wanted to preface the news of today’s attack on a Coptic Christian church near Cairo with some background.

According to reports, nine people were killed when gunmen opened fire at the church.

The assault was carried out at the St. Mina Coptic church in Helwan, a district on the southern edge of the Egyptian capital. It was not immediately clear who the attackers were or how many were involved.

Of those killed, 8 were Christians, and the ninth was a police officer.

There were also five people injured, with two of those five being in critical condition.

Being Christian in Egypt is a daily risk. ISIS and ISIS-connected entities have carried out several attacks during 2017.

In May, gunmen killed at least 28 Coptic Christians aboard a bus traveling along a desert road on the way to a monastery.

On Palm Sunday, 49 people were killed in bombings at two churches in Tanta and Alexandria. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, though it offered no proof of its connections to it.

Pray for the persecuted church.