Authorities have passed the halfway mark in the task of licencing churches in Egypt.
Premier Christian News reports, 82 new registrations were approved in April.
These licences bring the number of churches which have been granted official recognition to 1,882, with 3,730 churches having applied more than four years ago.
The Egyptian Prime Minister has urged the licence-granting authorities to swiftly clear the backlog of unregistered buildings.
It is illegal to worship in an unlicensed church building in Egypt, but before 2017 it was extremely difficult to obtain a licence.
Meanwhile, a 62-year-old Coptic Christian was recently murdered by Islamic State terrorists in Egypt after being abducted last November.
Nabil Salama’s abductors initially demanded a ransom equivalent to almost $413,000 AUD.
Mr Salama’s family owns several jewellery and mobile phone businesses and built the town’s only church.
