25 Dead in latest church bombing - Heavenly Father, protect your flock

By Kenya Sinclair (CALIFORNIA NETWORK)
12/13/2016 (2 years ago)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)

On Sunday morning, St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral's 105-year-old chapel was targeted by at least one bomb.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - At least 25 people were killed and another 49 were injured in the explosion, which destroyed sections of the church.

The bomb went off in the women's seating section, killing predominantly women and children.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack and witnesses have several stories, including a bomb was left in the designated women's section and an assailant on a motorcycle threw it at the church.

The attack coincided with a national holiday honoring the birth of the prophet Muhammad, leading many to believe the bombing was also meant to deal damage in the prophet's name.

ISIS has been targeting Christian buildings for quite some time but this was the deadliest Egypt has seen in years.

Copts - Egypt's largest Christian denomination - met outside the cathedral later Sunday afternoon to protest the minister responsible for law enforcement.

Many have been victims of several forms of religious discrimination and have voiced their dissatisfaction with the government's lack of help.

One woman told reporters: "There was no security at the gate. They were all having breakfast inside their van."

"There were children," another parishioner cried. "What have they done to deserve this? I wish I had died with them instead of seeing those scenes."

Accusations continue to fly; meanwhile, tensions between the Muslim majority and Christian minorities continues to build.

Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was quoted saying: "The pain felt by Egyptians now will not go to waste, but will instead result in an uncompromising decisiveness to hunt down and bring to trial whoever helped - through inciting, facilitating, participating or executing - in this heinous crime."

Many Coptic Christians have rallied to Sisi's camp despite growing dissent with his leadership and lack of action on behalf of religious minorities.

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