President Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE on Sunday praised Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for "moving his country to a more inclusive future" as Egypt opened the largest church in the Middle East.

"Excited to see our friends in Egypt opening the biggest Cathedral in the Middle East. President El-Sisi is moving his country to a more inclusive future!" Trump tweeted.

Excited to see our friends in Egypt opening the biggest Cathedral in the Middle East. President El-Sisi is moving his country to a more inclusive future! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2019

The president's tweet comes as Egypt opens the Nativity of Christ, the largest cathedral in the region, on Coptic Christmas Eve. The church is located 28 miles east of Cairo, USA Today reported, and will seat 8,200 worshippers.

ADVERTISEMENT

While the cathedral's opening is momentous for Coptic Christians in the country, it has also raised security concerns that the house of worship will become a target, USA Today reported.

More than 100 Coptic Christians died as a result of terrorist attacks in the country last year, and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has repeatedly claimed responsibility for such attacks. The group claimed responsibility for an incident last week in which eight Coptic Christians were gunned down at a Cairo church, USA Today reported.

Coptic Christians make up roughly 10 percent of Egypt’s majority Muslim population.

Sisi rose to power in 2013 after he led a military ouster of then-President Mohammed Morsi. In the time since, the government has eased restrictions on building churches, and loosened other policies that were hostile toward Christianity.

"60 Minutes" will air an interview on Sunday night with Sisi, despite the president demanding CBS News withhold the broadcast.

CBS News said "60 Minutes" producers were contacted by the Egyptian ambassador and told the interview could not be aired because questions to Sisi about imprisoning his opponents and the killing of 800 civilians by the government during his tenure as defense minister were "not the kind of news his government wanted broadcast."

Sisi, in the interview, dismissed reports from Human Rights Watch, an international human rights organization, that allege Egypt has detained as many as 60,000 political prisoners.