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Cathedral and mosque unveiled in new capital

(6 Jan 2019) LEADIN: President el-Sissi has inaugurated a newly built cathedral and mosque in Egypt's new administrative capital today. The places of worship in the under-construction city show a willingness for tolerance between religious communities. STORYLINE: Construction vehicles are still at work outside Christ's Nativity Cathedral. But it's just the finishing touches required to get the building finished. Today, Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is inaugurating the new cathedral as he attends an Orthodox Christmas service. It has been built in Egypt's new administrative capital, a 45-billion-dollar, under-construction project some 45 kilometres (28 miles) east of Cairo. The purpose built city will house the presidency, Cabinet, parliament and ministries as well as the army and 6.5 million residents. It aims to ease the pressure on sprawling and overcrowded Cairo. And this huge cathedral will be used by some of Egypt's 10 million Orthodox Christians. Its architect Mounir Abdo Fam says it is the biggest in the Middle East. "It can host around 7,000 people. If we compared it to the old cathedral in Abbassia district it is more than three times bigger." The complex includes a papal residence, a reception hall, service buildings and offices. This will be the second time the Christmas Mass has been held in the new cathedral, as last year's service took place while it was still under construction. Today's opening ceremony is a highly symbolic gesture at a time when Islamic militants are increasingly targeting the country's minority Christians, and just hours after a police major was killed trying to defuse an explosive device near a Cairo church. El-Sissi has made sectarian harmony a cornerstone of his rule, fighting Islamic militancy while advocating equality between the overwhelming Muslim majority and Christians. Reverend Johnnie Moore, President of the Congress of the Christian Leaders, believes el-Sissi's support shows renewed respect for the religion. "He said there is going to be a church in the new capital, it's going be the biggest church you have ever seen. Last year he broke ground on that church and this year he is opening that church, and so it is going to take action to eradicate terrorism, it is going to take understanding between communities," says the reverend. But of course, with Islam the dominant religion in Egypt, the new city also needs a mosque of epic proportions. Al Fatah Al Aleem mosque fits that brief - it is one of the largest in the world and will be able to host 16,000 worshippers at a time. El-Sissi is also going to officially open the mosque. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...