Catholic Bishops in Ethiopia Condole with Coptic Church after Church Fire in Cairo, Egypt

In the statement CBCE members add, “Our sincere sympathy goes to the Coptic Orthodox Church, the bereaved families, friends of all those who lost their lives in the tragic fire incident at Abu Sifin church in Cairo, and the brotherly Egyptian people.” 

The Catholic Bishops in Ethiopia assure members of the Coptic Church “our prayers to your church, the deceased and wish a full and speedy recovery to those who were injured.”

“May the Good Lord give you grace and strength to overcome this tragedy,” they say.

According to Reuters, an electrical fire broke out at the Coptic church where people gathered during the Divine Liturgy Sunday celebration. The fire reportedly blocked the church’s exit and caused a stampede. 

Following the incident, the Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II, offered condolences to the families of the victims.

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"We are following with sorrow the tragic incident that occurred this morning in the Church of the Great Martyr Mercurius Abo Sefein in the Imbabah Airport area, north of Giza,” he said August 14. 

The Patriarch added, "As we offer our condolences to the victims' families, we pray for the injured and wounded, trusting that the hand of God will have mercy on us all."

Egypt’s President, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, also offered his condolences to the head of the Coptic Church in Egypt, saying his thoughts were with “the families of the innocent victims that have passed on to be with their Lord in one of his houses of worship.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.