Prime Minister Sherif Ismail formed a committee assigned to review the status of Egyptian churches and their affiliated buildings in accordance with the recently passed Church Construction Law.
According to a report by state media on Sunday, the committee includes the ministers of defence, housing, local development, justice, legal and parliamentary affairs, and antiquities.
Representatives of the Christian communities must file requests to authorities, similar to applications for licences for existing churches in the country, as well as any affiliated buildings such as services buildings or other places of worship.
The deadline for submission of applications is 28 September. After the deadline, the committee will review them according to conditions set by the law, which include certain construction standards and certification by official bodies concerned with urban construction.
A new law organising the construction of churches in Egypt was passed in August 2016, shortly after being drafted by the government and the pope, amid contestation by non-governmental organisations regarding its repression and objection by some Christian communities over the lack of social dialogue.
