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Egypt Reopens Churches Amid Extensive Precautionary Measures

An Egyptian woman attends Bright Saturday service amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a church in Cairo (File photo: AFP)
An Egyptian woman attends Bright Saturday service amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a church in Cairo (File photo: AFP)
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Egypt Reopens Churches Amid Extensive Precautionary Measures

An Egyptian woman attends Bright Saturday service amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a church in Cairo (File photo: AFP)
An Egyptian woman attends Bright Saturday service amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a church in Cairo (File photo: AFP)

Egyptian churches held their mass for the first time after four months of closure due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The Coptic Orthodox Church announced the measures in place to gradually reopen churches noting it had begun partially reopening churches to hold masses, festive prayers and funerals. It assured that full commitment to all precautions will be in place, with no more than one person to be seated in each bench.

The Church stressed it will reopen doors while imposing precautionary measures such as maintaining social distance and allowing 25 percent of each church’s capacity.

It identified 18 conditions for churches, priests and Christians alike such as asking each to bring their own handkerchief, a small bottle of water, wearing a face mask, banning handshakes and completely preventing anyone with high fever or respiratory symptoms from attending church.

On March 21, the church closed all churches and stopped all ritual services, masses, and gatherings as part of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The church’s decision came after a meeting by the Standing Committee of the Holy Synod, headed by Pope Tawadros II, to discuss the pandemic’s latest developments.

Egyptian Health Ministry announced that the total number of cases registered in the country reached 94,483 cases, including 42,455 recoveries and 4,865 deaths.

Meanwhile, Egyptian Ministry of Endowments confirmed that reports claiming it limited Friday sermon to 10 minutes are completely unfounded.

It indicated in a statement that the guidelines for the gradual resumption of Friday prayers would be announced after discussions with the government's coronavirus crisis management committee.

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Arab World

UN Investigative Team Says Syria’s New Authorities ‘Very Receptive’ to Probe of Assad War Crimes

A man looks at the pictures of missing people, believed to be prisoners from Sednaya prison, which was known as a "slaughterhouse" under Syria's Bashar al-Assad's rule, after his ousting, in Marjeh Square also known as Martyrs Square in Damascus, Syria December 22, 2024. (Reuters)
A man looks at the pictures of missing people, believed to be prisoners from Sednaya prison, which was known as a "slaughterhouse" under Syria's Bashar al-Assad's rule, after his ousting, in Marjeh Square also known as Martyrs Square in Damascus, Syria December 22, 2024. (Reuters)
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UN Investigative Team Says Syria’s New Authorities ‘Very Receptive’ to Probe of Assad War Crimes

A man looks at the pictures of missing people, believed to be prisoners from Sednaya prison, which was known as a "slaughterhouse" under Syria's Bashar al-Assad's rule, after his ousting, in Marjeh Square also known as Martyrs Square in Damascus, Syria December 22, 2024. (Reuters)
A man looks at the pictures of missing people, believed to be prisoners from Sednaya prison, which was known as a "slaughterhouse" under Syria's Bashar al-Assad's rule, after his ousting, in Marjeh Square also known as Martyrs Square in Damascus, Syria December 22, 2024. (Reuters)

The UN organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria said Monday the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus, and it is preparing to deploy.

The visit led by Robert Petit, head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, was the first since the organization was established by the UN General Assembly in 2016. It was created to assist in evidence-gathering and prosecution of individuals responsible for possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide since Syria’s civil war began in 2011.

Petit highlighted the urgency of preserving documents and other evidence before it is lost.

Since the opposition overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and the opening of prisons and detention facilities there have been rising demands from Syrians for the prosecution of those responsible for atrocities and killings while he was in power.

“The fall of the Assad rule is a significant opportunity for us to fulfill our mandate on the ground,” Petit said. “Time is running out. There is a small window of opportunity to secure these sites and the material they hold.”

UN associate spokesperson Stephane Tremblay said Monday the investigative team “is preparing for an operational deployment as early as possible and as soon as it is authorized to conduct activities on Syrian soil.”

The spokesperson for the organization, known as the IIIM, who was on the trip with Petit, went further, telling The Associated Press: “We are preparing to deploy on the expectation that we will get authorization.”

“The representatives from the caretaker authorities were very receptive to our request for cooperation and are aware of the scale of the task ahead,” the spokesperson said, speaking on condition of not being named. “They emphasized that they will need expertise to help safeguard the newly accessible documentation.”

The IIIM did not disclose which officials in the new government it met with or the site that Petit visited afterward.

“Even at one facility,” Petit said, “the mountains of government documentation reveal the chilling efficiency of systemizing the regime’s atrocity crimes.”

He said that a collective effort by Syrians, civil society organizations and international partners will be needed, as a priority, “to preserve evidence of the crimes committed, avoid duplication, and ensure that all victims are inclusively represented in the pursuit of justice.”

In June 2023, the 193-member General Assembly also established an Independent Institution of Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic to clarify the fate and whereabouts of more than 130,000 people missing as a result of the conflict.