Diocese of Minya statement about the fire in Our Lady Church in Ismailia village in Minya

On Thursday, Anba Makarios General Bishop of Minya and Abo korkas issued, a statement about the outbreak of fire in the Blessed Virgin church in Ismailia El-Baharia village in Minya: On Thursday morning, May 12, 2016, Blessed Virgin Church in Ismailia El-Baharia village, which lies six kilometers north of Minya, was attacked by some extremists, who have torched it and the church was completely destroyed, mentioning that this church is a big pavilion set in a temporary location where Copts pray and hold all their meetings for over a year, the security authorities and local officials are aware of this church and our Muslim brothers are guarding it, and served by a dedicated priest Rev. Jonathan Adel, Until security authorities allow to open the church which was built in 2009.
It’s remains closed until now, and we are now in coordination with security agencies to remedy the situation to avoid the aggravation of events, especially that Copts and Muslims live in amiability and cooperation. We trust so much in the speed the authorities in solving the issue as we covenant in several previous situations.