According to Father Maqar Eissa of the church of the Holy Virgin in the Samalout village of al-Our in Minya, Upper Egypt, there has been no manifestation of the Holy Virgin atop the church in her name in the village. Rumours had been circulating to this effect on social media. Neither, said Fr Maqar, did lights of an unknown source appear there.
The village of al-Our was home to 13 of the 20 Copts beheaded by Daesh in Libya in January 2015 on account of their Christian faith. The Egyptian Air Force had back then waged airstrikes against Daesh forces in Libya, and President Sisi had ordered a church to be built in their honour at their home village. Fr Maqar told Watani that the Construction Department of the Egyptian Armed Forces is already in the process of building that church, and that construction is scheduled to be concluded in October 2016. The church will be named Church of the Martyrs of Faith and the Homeland.
Watani International
13 December 2015