[AlAhram] Egypt approved the legalization of an additional 374 Christian churches and service buildings that had been operating without a permit.According to the official state gazette on Monday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has given his approval for the legalization of 141 Christian churches and 233 service buildings.
The total number of churches and their service buildings that have been legalized by the government now exceeds 3,000.
In 2016, the parliament passed legislation aimed at facilitating the construction and renovation of churches, as part of the government's efforts to guarantee the freedom of worship.
In line with this legislation, the cabinet established a committee in 2017 to review and address the requests for legalizing the status of numerous unpermitted places of worship.
The committee, led by the prime minister and composed of 10 members, includes representatives from various Christian sects, six government officials from different ministries, as well as representatives from the national security and intelligence apparatus and the administrative control body.