Authorities in a governorate in southern Egypt have allowed 21 churches to restore, expand and rebuild, after a wait of about two decades, and some are attributing this gesture to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s scheduled visit to the country later this month.
The Minya Governor, Essam al-Bedeiwi, has approved 21 applications of churches in rural Minya governorate over the last six months, according to World Watch Monitor, which says some of the churches had been waiting for more than 20 years for a permit to come through.
