Christians beginning to flee Egypt
May 12, 2011
Fearful for their safety, some Coptic Christians have begun to flee Egypt, according to John Pontifex, spokesman for Aid to the Church in Need.
Offering an overview of recent violence against Christians in the Cairo suburb of Imbaba, Pontifex told Vatican Radio that “there is this great fear and great uncertainty that many people feel about the future for Christianity in an area where all the time there are reports coming through of Christians saying, ‘We want to leave, we do not feel safe here.’”
Only 0.3% of Egypt's 79.1 million people are Catholic, according to Vatican statistics; in all, an estimated 9% of Egyptians are Christian, most of them Coptic Orthodox.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
- Minority Christians fear future of Egypt (Vatican Radio)
- Catholic church attacked in Cairo (CWN, 5/10)
- 3 churches attacked in Egypt; 12 dead, over 200 injured (CWN, 5/9)
- Coptic Orthodox Church (CNEWA)
- Coptic Catholic Church (CNEWA)
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
