Egypt’s el-Sissi inaugurates cathedral, mosque in new capital

The inauguration ceremony, which ended with a display of fireworks, took on added significance because it fell on Christmas Eve for Egypt's predominantly Coptic Orthodox Christians.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, right, speaks to Coptic Christians as he is accompanied by Coptic Pope Tawadros II, during Christmas Eve Mass at the new “Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ,” in the new administrative capital, 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Cairo, Egypt. (AP)

Egypt’s president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday inaugurated a new cathedral for the Coptic Orthodox Church and one of the region’s largest mosques in a highly symbolic gesture at a time when Islamic militants are increasingly targeting the country’s minority Christians.

Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a general-turned-president, has made sectarian harmony a cornerstone of his rule, fighting Islamic militancy while advocating equality between the overwhelming Muslim majority and Christians, who account for 10 percent of Egypt’s 100 million people.

“This is a historic and important moment,” said el-Sissi inside the cathedral.

“But we still have to protect the tree of love we planted here together today because seditions never end.”

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