After a committee formed by the government approved the legalisation of 156 churches on Tuesday, a representative of the Egyptian Anglican Church, Yousef Talaat, announced that requests have also been submitted to legalise over 1K churches operated by the Anglican Diocese in Egypt, according to TeN channel.

The committee, which was set up in 2016, is tasked with licensing construction and restoration of churches across Egypt, a process which previously required the presidential approval of every single instance of construction at any church in Egypt. It has so far approved restoration and legalisation of about 783 churches.

The Anglican Diocese in Egypt has historically been part of the Diocese of Jerusalem, however it was given autonomy in the early 20th century and got its first dedicated bishop in 1920. The Diocese's jurisdiction encompasses a vast region including Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti, and its current bishop is Mouneer Anis.

Main Image of St Mark's Church, Maadi courtesy of IPS