CWN - Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al Sisi has announced a plan to build the largest Christian church in Egypt, on the outskirts of Cairo.

The Egyptian leader announced the project at the Christmas liturgy in the city’s Coptic cathedral. For the 3rd consecutive year, al Sisi joined Coptic Pope Tawadros II for the Orthodox Christmas celebration on January 6. The Egyptian leader has promised government support for the reconstruction of Christian churches damaged in riots in 2013.

The new cathedral, scheduled to be opened in 2018, will be part of an ambitious plan to build an entirely new section of Cairo. The plan also inclues the country’s largest mosque.

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