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Reuters
Hundreds of people gathered in Minya to attend the funeral of six Coptic Christians killed by militiamen
Coptic Christians gathered in Egypt to take part in the funeral of a group of pilgrims killed by gunmen as they headed for a monastery on Friday.
The mourners expressed their sorrow and anger as they left the church of Prince Tadros in the city of Minya, where the bodies of six victims lay in white coffins.
A seventh had been buried on Friday.
The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack, the latest in a series of extremists on the Coptic Christian minority in Egypt.
The Egyptian Copts, who constitute the bulk of the Christian minority in the predominantly Muslim country, have in the past accused the authorities of making only symbolic gestures to protect them from such attacks, including one at the same time. place that killed 28 people in May 2017.
The Friday attack on two buses near St. Samuel the Confessor's Monastery in Minya has also left at least seven others injured, including children, according to reports.
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On Saturday, people showed their anger and frustration: according to the AFP news agency, the coffins were taken away from the church, accompanied by cries: "with our souls, with our blood, we will defend the cross! ", while members of the security – sent to keep the congregation – were booed.
"What do these terrorists want, do they want us to hate Muslims?" said Michel, 23, who lost a neighbor in the attack.
"Should I carry a firearm with me when I go to pray or when I'm at home? Because I could die if I go to church," he asked.
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Reuters
The group was traveling in buses near a local monastery when they were attacked
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Reuters
Some think that the government has not done enough to protect their community
Others, however, had a more conciliatory tone.
"We would like to tell them [the attackers] that we still love them despite what happened. We have a question though – why are you doing this? We are not committing wickedness to anyone, "said to the mourners Rad Noseer Mitri, priest of the church of Mar Girgis, according to the Reuters news agency.
"We serve our church and our country in all honesty, we play no role in terrorism or hatred, we play a role in serving our church and our country like any other people in the world."
Bishop Makarios of Minya – who thanked the security personnel – promised the congregation not to "forget the promises of officials, including the president of the republic, that criminals be punished".
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AFP
The Egyptian Copts have been the object of repeated attacks in recent years
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AFP
A seventh victim was buried during an Anglican ceremony Friday night
"There is a mixture of sadness and pain, these painful events are repeated and are painful because the Copts are part of this homeland and are part of its fabric," said Bishop Makarios.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi observed a minute of silence for the victims and called on Coptic Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences.
Who are the Coptic Christians?
The Coptic Orthodox Church is the main Christian church in Egypt. Although most Copts live there, the church has about one million members outside the country.
The Copts believe that their faith dates back to around 50 AD. AD, while the apostle Marc would have visited Egypt. The head of the church calls the pope and is considered the successor of St. Mark.
The Coptic Church broke away from other Christian denominations at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, due to a dispute over the human and divine nature of Jesus Christ.
The current Coptic Pope, Tawadros II, observed his own social media ban last month by closing his official Facebook page.
