Egypt
Construction of a church in Kom Boha
Kom Boha is a village of 10,000 inhabitants, situated around 40 miles (60 km) from the town of Assiut, which is the seat of the Coptic Catholic diocese of the same name. Most of the inhabitants of the village are Christians, and the majority of these belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church. But there are also 1500 or so Catholics living here.
For 30 years the Catholics have wanted to build their own church in this village, but in the past it has been extremely difficult for Christians to obtain building permits. As a result they currently celebrate Holy Mass in a large room that was made available by some members of the congregation. But it is far too small and regularly bursting at the seams – for it can fit no more than 30 people at a time. Normally, the seating inside is reserved for the womenfolk, while the men remain standing in the road outside.
Now at last they have managed to obtain permission and can go ahead with the construction of a proper church. It will be dedicated to Saint George. ACN is helping with a contribution of 60,000 Euros.
