"We trust in God. We pray: 'Jesus, take care of us.'"

In April, our Head of Press and Information John Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.

Thursday, 14th April 2011

Assiut, in Upper Egypt, is a University city. We arrived here today to find the Bishop – Kyrillos William – keen for us to meet the young people who attend the major institutions here. Walking through the streets, I suddenly realised that the bishop was quite able to walk around with his distinctive tall brimless hat with veil and his ivory-capped stick, without feeling at risk. Back in Sohag and Minya, the bishop had tended to keep a much lower profile.



Bishop Kyrillos William of Assiut, Egypt

This difference is down to Assiut having a much higher proportion of Christians – in fact it’s more 40 percent Christian, whereas Luxor and Sohag had been more like 20-25 percent. And this greater equality was reflected in a much more upbeat Catholic faithful.

Having visited a catechetical centre which is to be rebuilt thanks to funding from Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Kyrillos took us on to a halls of residence. There I met a young woman named Lydia, aged 21.


Lydia, a young Christian woman from Assiut in Upper Egypt


Lydia is training to become a pharmacist. She explained that not covering her hair and her Christian names caused some consternation among prospective employers, but her attitude was far more resolute than what I had seen thus far.

She told me: “We are proud of our Christian identity and we don’t want to change. I love Egypt. It is my country. We trust in God. We pray: ‘Jesus, take care of us.’”

But nobody can doubt the pressures against the Church and the Coptic Catholic Church in particular. Bishop Kyrillos, a lively and erudite man explained the scandal of how the Coptic Orthodox insists on rebaptism of Copts Catholics marrying their faithful. We were told today that thousands of Catholics abandon their faith every year. Yes, many of them turn to Islam, in many cases for financial reasons – enhancing job opportunities etc. But there are also those who switch to Orthodoxy which holds sway in many areas.

For instance, the other evening, we went by night to a Catholic church under construction where work had stopped part-way to completion. We were told that the authorities had stepped in after complaints not from Islamists but from disgruntled local Orthodox. The truth is stranger than fiction.

Find out how you can help Christians in Egypt

ipadio: Meeting the faithful in Egypt



Expressions of Faith: In a village outside Sohag, Upper Egypt, Mass takes place in a church supported by Aid to the Church in Need



Bringing Christ's light to Luxor

In April, our Head of Press and Information John Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.

Tuesday 12th April 2011

Our visit to Luxor was always going to be interesting but few of us could have expected it to be quite as we found it. We were particularly anxious to visit since Aid to the Church in Need staff had not been there for a number of years amid safety concerns. Despite the turmoil of the moment, we were given clearance to go.

Collected after the hour-long flight from Cairo, the first thing we noticed was a series of unmanned security check points. Introduced to the Bishop of Luxor, Joannes Zakaria, the first thing he told us was: “The situation is not very good. There is looting. People are carrying out many manifestations [protest marches]."

John Pontifex in front of ancient ruins at Luxor

Luxor is a beautiful city but tourists were still thin on the ground. Beautifully turned-out rickshaws with perfectly groomed horses stood idle behind the ancient remains in the city centre. There was an eerie quiet about the place.

Taking a late lunch, the bishop described the diocese: with 18,000 Catholics in a total population of four million, you realise the size of the diocese when you are told that it neighbours that of Khartoum, deep inside north Sudan.

Bishop Joannes said that in the last few years there were suspicious blazes on three church properties. One fire had broken out at a convent, another had gutted a parish church in a village called Hagazah and a third had badly damaged the bishop’s house overlooking the Nile.

But standing on the top of the rebuilt Bishop’s House, you felt that Bishop Joannes had had the last laugh. The view from there as the sun set over the hills behind was one of the most magical sights I have ever seen. The river continued to glint in the sun as the light in the sky turned red.

Bishop Joannes Zakaria and the view over the Nile from the Bishop's House in Luxor

The bishop himself is a character. Bearing a distinct resemblance to former (Labour) Home Secretary Charles Clarke, this burly bishop took us to sites, details of which cannot be published. When asked to indicate the government’s likely response to some of his activities, he simply bulged his eyes out at me and ran his finger ominously across his neck.

Others meanwhile are well documented, such as the extension to St George’s Church in Nag el Sigh, Luxor, which was completed with Aid to the Church in Need funds. The bishop explained that much of the work had taken place in secret one night. Visiting the church, the parishioners stayed behind to sing the Our Father in Arabic in honour of benefactors.

Find out how you can help Christians in Egypt

Egypt Patriarch's message of thanks

In April, our Head of Press and Information John Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John  will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.
Monday, 11th April 2011
Ever thought you were about to be killed?

That’s what went through my mind just a couple of hours ago. We were driving on yet another super highway when suddenly the car we were in suddenly died on us. Truth to tell it wasn’t a complete surprise, the car had been making some very peculiar noises and had had to be jump-started a little bit earlier on. But nonetheless, it was a total shock when it gave out on the middle lane of the motorway in the dark.

There were no street lights and so we thought that it was only a matter of time before a car driving at top speed ran into the back of us. Worse still, we were driving uphill. So at risk to life and limb, we got out and pushed the car to the hard shoulder, hoping (and praying!) the oncoming traffic would dodge us.

Fortunately, it did. We realised the vehicle had over-heated and the radiator was bone dry. The Patriarch’s secretary, whose car it was and who was driving at the time, was mortified and apologised profusely. A number of us were too busy semi-hyper-ventilating to stammer out a response! Anyhow, it all worked out ok. An SOS was sent out and sure enough another clergy vehicle came and found us and brought us back. I don’t think the Patriarch will have too much trouble persuading the head of Aid to the Church in Need's projects that it might be a good idea to help fund a new car.

In fact, earlier that day we had had an audience with the Patriarch in which he had stressed the importance of project support from Aid to the Church in Need. The Patriarch – who is a Cardinal at the same time (a sort of belt-and-braces approach to ecclesiastical authority) – explained the pastoral priorities of the Coptic Catholic Church. The prelate – by the name of Antonios Naguib – singled out formation – catechesis and Christian education – for the young and for priests and Sisters too.

He thanked ACN for its commitment to Christian schools, the training of Sisters and priests and for the charity’s work in support of catechesis and catechetical training centres. And he gave this very moving testimony to ACN’s benefactors:

He also went on to say that in this time of flux, when the political future is so uncertain, it’s crucial that bishops, priests, Sisters and lay people put their heads above the parapet and speak up and claim their rights in the new Egypt. Otherwise, they might just miss their one and only chance. He too warned about the rise of Islamism. He said: “We really rely on the friends and benefactors of Aid to the Church in Need. The most important thing they do to help us is pray for us.”

Find out how you can help Christians in Egypt

ipadio: A visit to the Sisters at Our Lady of the Annunciation Monastery in Alexandria

Inter-faith relations in Egypt - what is the truth?

In April, our Head of Press and InformationJohn Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John  will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.Saturday, 9th April 2011
I am sat in the back of a car driving through endless traffic in this mega-metropolis that is Cairo. The roads are all underpasses and overpasses surrounded by an endless concrete jungle of buildings. And it goes on for miles without number.

The group of us from Aid to the Church in Need have been talking, trying to make sense of what we’ve seen so far. It seems so confusing.

Now at this point I have to make a confession – namely that for ethical and security reasons, I can’t reveal everything I’m seeing, nor can I identify everybody I speak to. Let’s just say a highly placed Catholic religious figure with close Vatican links has told us: “There is no persecution here. There may be discrimination but even that would need to be proven.”

His comments seemed to be backed up by some graffiti on a wall near his house – showing a Christian cross and a Muslim crescent either side of a red heart.

Graffiti on a wall suggest warm relations between Christians and Muslims in Egypt - is this an accurate reflection of reality?

But on the other hand, we’re just coming back from Ismaelia where we’ve been told a very different story.

Driving parallel to the Suez Canal between Suez itself and Ismaelia, our hosts from the local church here have explained that in this region extremist Islamist movements are at their strongest. The Muslim Brotherhood – the infamous hardline Islamic political party – started here in the 1920s.

A ship on the Suez Canal in Ismaelia, Egypt

What we were told by senior clergy there was that these extremists have been let off the leash now that Mubarak has gone. And of course what that means is that Egypt’s Coptic Catholics who number barely 250,000 – far smaller than their 8 million Coptic Orthodox cousins – are very afraid.

Father Hana, who helps run a maternity hospital in Suez told us: “You can see these fanatic groups coming out. They are clearly recognisable now. They say they want to turn this country into something like Iran.”

Islamists have apparently gone online with threats to kill women appearing in public without a veil. Yes, Egyptians have achieved freedom; but if that means the right to oppress others, what kind of freedom is that?

Find out more about how you can help Christians in Egypt

Arriving in Egypt - at last!

In April, our Head of Press and InformationJohn Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John  will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.

Friday, 8th April 2011

Well, here I am; I’ve finally arrived in Egypt! I thought I’d never get here. Our visit here was initially scheduled for February. In fact, that original trip plan couldn’t have been timed worse. Just a few days before we were due to arrive, President Hosni Mubarak relinquished office and beat a hasty retreat. In all the pandemonium, we had no option but to delay and have only just got the green light to come.

Barely six weeks after Mubarak’s departure, we were not a little nervous about coming. I say we – it’s three of us: Regina Lynch and Fr Andrzej Halemba from Aid to the Church in Need’s projects department and very seasoned travellers too. Coming out of Cairo’s swanky new airport this afternoon, we knew change was in the air even before we hit the highway. Inching our way out of the car park, we noticed that the car in front had a sticker in the rear window, proclaiming ‘25th January’



Many of the cars we saw were emblazoned with 25 January stickers commemorating the Revolution

 That is the date when ‘The Revolution’ began, with crowds amassing in Tahir Square demanding political change at the highest level. Apparently, 40 million of these stickers have been produced. We soon noticed that a large number of cars were adorned with them. Our driver, Fr Hani, secretary to the Coptic Catholic Patriarch based here in Cairo, said the stickers were seen as a symbol of ‘power to the people’.

Nobody in their wildest dreams believed such a power was capable of bringing down a 30-year regime apparently as rock solid as the Pyramids themselves. What’s strange is that everything here seems so normal – apart from the stickers, there’s little to tell you there’s just been a political earthquake.


The domes of a mosque seen from a motorway in central Cairo

But under the surface may lie a different story. I write this sitting on my bed at a house for retired clergy in the Cairo suburb of Maadi. As I finish for the day, I wonder if our trip here will shed any light on whether such seismic change will continue to be as ‘bloodless’ as it has been thus far. And especially in the light of the purpose of our trip, what will it mean for the country’s Christians?

Find out more about Christians in Egypt at www.acnuk.org/egypt

We must speak out for peace and justice in Pakistan

Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's late Federal Minister for Minorities, who was assassinated in March

When militant Islamists in Pakistan assassinated Shahbaz Bhatti in March, they silenced the sole Christian voice in the country’s Cabinet.

As the Federal Minister for Minorities, Mr Bhatti had frequently spoken out about the persecution of Christians in Pakistan, especially as a consequence of the notorious Blasphemy Laws. When eight people died during anti-Christian riots sparked by reports of the Qu’ran being desecrated in Gojra, Punjab province, in August 2009, it was Shahbaz Bhatti who demanded better protection for Christian communities.
And his voice – along with that of another assassinated politician, Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab Province – was the loudest to speak in defence of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman on death row for alleged blasphemy offences.

Both men had called for changes to Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws, which, in enshrining the sanctity of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, provide an often-abused tool for vengeance and vindictiveness against minority groups and personal enemies. The laws have been cited as the cause of 14 separate attacks on Christians over the last two months. A recent call by an Islamist political group to ban the Bible for being “blasphemous” and “pornographic” shows tolerance to be at a low ebb.

In a video prepared in the event of his death, Shahbaz Bhatti declared: “I believe in Jesus Christ who has given his own life for us, and I am ready to die for a cause. I'm living for my community... and I will die to defend their rights.”

In association with the British Pakistani Christian Association, Aid to the Church in Need is asking supporters to make their voice heard in defence of Pakistan’s Christians and other minorities.

Please sign our petition calling for peace, justice and human rights for all people of Pakistan. Almost 700 people have already signed up, and the more names we can gather, the louder our voices wil speak out.

Christians protest in Pakistan after extremist attacks left eight dead and many injured

We will also be taking part in a protest march on Saturday 2nd July in London. The march is being organised by Wilson Chowdhry, the chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association who said: "We are grateful for the partnership with Aid to the Church in Need, who have responded so warmly to our request for support.

“Pakistani Christians in their homeland are persecuted daily. The increasing conservative and extremist form of Islam in Pakistan has meant that those who speak out against oppression are silenced through either threat or assassination, such as Shahbaz Bhatti (RIP).”

During the march, I will be among a delegation submitting the petition to 10 Downing Street. John Pontifex, Aid to the Church in Need’s head of press and information, will be giving a short talk to the crowd, too.

Other guests expected at the rally include Bishop Dr Michael Nazir Ali, the former Anglican Bishop of Rochester, Stuart Windsor of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Lee Scott MP and representatives from Christian, Sikh, Hindu and Muslim organisations

You can find out more about the protest here

Please do add your voice to our campaign, and ask friends and family to do the same – Pakistan’s Christians have no voice of their own.

Neville Kyrke-Smith
UK Director, Aid to the Church in Need

Archbishop of Tunis hopeful after Jasmine Revolution

"It is like recuperating after a long illness. But we have hope as the young won't accept being oppressed," Archbishop Maroun Lahham of Tunisia's capital, Tunis, tells me when I ask him about the fallout of the December 2010/January 2011 Jasmine Revolution.

Political instability sees army soldiers and barbed wire outside his cathedral near the French Embassy, yet the archbishop's faith shines through. "I am optimistic by nature and by vocation," he smiles.

He tells me he is invited to meetings with Muslims and government officials. He does not think that radicals will take control in elections now scheduled for September/October after they were postponed recently. Maybe Tunisia can lead the way in the Middle East with a pluarlistic and democratic society?

The archbishop gives thanks to Aid to the Church in Need for help over the years - and thank you from me, too.

Neville Kyrke-Smith, Tunisia