Armed forces began demolishing St. George Church in north Sinai in El Arish in preparation for rebuilding and reconstructing it, fulfilling President Sisi promises to reconstruct all destroyed churches before 2017 Coptic Christmas. Mentioning that a huge number of churches were destroyed by Islamist in August 14, 2013. Father Raphael Moussa, the priest of St. George’s Church in El-Arish the church that fire destroyed and parts of it collapsed said that the Armed Forces started to demolish the church a week ago and is still continuing demolition work, noting that the reconstruction of the church was delayed as a result tension in Sinai during the past two years but now the situation is better, especially that ElArish is far from Rafah where the military are fighting terrorist. He thanked the President for fulfilling his promises and accelerating churches reconstructions work,noting that churches were destroyed by Islamist following Rabaa and Renaissance Sit-In unfold.
Father Raphael Moussa continued : “We hope that the President consider the Holy Family Church in Rafah, which was destroyed by terrorist after detonating it twice in 2011 during the 25 January revolution stating that the Holy Family Church was serving Copts in the city as well as hundreds of transients to and from Palestine and surrounding cities especially that the church entered the evacuated area “Buffer Zone”. hoping to have a new piece of land to rebuild the church that was built according to a Presidential decree in 1994 and that was inaugurated by the late Pope Shenouda III.