Despite their small numbers, Catholics in Egypt play an outsize role in the services they provide, especially in the poorer regions of the country. However, the faithful continue to face difficult challenges as a minority within a large population. The Eparchy of Luxor has approximately 25,000 Catholics served by 37 priests and 70 women religious, covering the Red Sea coast—an important tourism hub attracting foreign visitors and internal migrants.
During a visit to the international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Germany, Bishop Emmanuel Bishay of Luxor explained that the Church struggles to provide pastoral accompaniment to an increasingly dispersed population. While the Coptic Orthodox Church is the largest Christian denomination with an estimated 10 to 15 million members, and Muslims make up the vast majority of the 120 million population, the Catholic Coptic Church has only around 300,000 faithful. Yet, according to Bishop Bishay, they play a vital part in forging good interreligious relations and contributing to health, education, and culture:
“As one travels farther into Upper Egypt, people can be somewhat more rigid in their attitudes. We make every effort to build relationships with the Orthodox community and with Muslims, who are the majority, even if we encounter some difficulties, especially in villages and small settlements”.
Pastoral challenges and interreligious bonds for Catholics in Egypt
At the official level, relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches remain positive and affectionate, exchanging greetings on religious occasions. However, Bishop Bishay highlights significant practical challenges, particularly regarding interdenominational marriages:
“Unfortunately, if a young Catholic man or woman marries an Orthodox person, they may be required to become Orthodox and to follow the Orthodox Church’s requirements. This is a major challenge for us as a Church: how can we help our young people deepen their Catholic faith and remain attached to their Church? I believe that the formation we provide, especially through catechesis, is an important service. We also create many opportunities for young Catholics to meet one another”.
A few years ago, the Catholic Church made the landmark decision to include the Coptic Martyrs killed by jihadists in Libya in 2015 in its calendar, despite them being Orthodox. The Bishop noted that Catholics are proud of their example, as Christians in Egypt are always ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for their faith. Regarding the Muslim community, the bishop observed a noticeable shift away from hard-line voices toward more moderate views, with the government granting moderate voices more room to act.
A pioneering Church and international support
Bishop Bishay emphasized that the Catholic Church is small in numbers but strong in providing essential social services:
“Some of the best schools in Egypt are Catholic schools, and the fact that state officials regularly turn to Catholic schools is evidence of this. We also work in healthcare. Our diocese alone has 14 clinics, most of which are staffed by religious sisters who devote much of their time to this work”.
“The Catholic Church has not only provided these services; it has also shown Egyptian society how to provide them. The Coptic Orthodox Church learned to provide them from us and, more recently, mosques have also begun providing services of this kind, following our example. The Catholic Church has been a pioneer in this field”.
These services are particularly vital in Luxor, where poverty affects intellectual and personal development. Upper Egypt receives less attention and funding than the Delta, leading to shortcomings in healthcare and education. ACN continues to support the Catholic Church in Egypt across many fields, a collaboration Bishop Bishay deeply values because the foundation always respects local priorities rather than imposing its own agenda