Monk, Workers Shot in Monastery Attack in Egypt; Egyptian Army Destroys Church Protective Wall

One monk and six church workers were shot and wounded last week, when the Egyptian Army attacked a Coptic Orthodox monastery in order to destroy a wall monks had built to defend their property from raiders, the Worldwide Religion News website reports today (February 28, 2011).

The attack -- with small arms, heavy machine guns, and armored personnel carriers -- occurred on February 23 at the Anba Bishoy Monastery in Wadi Al-Natroun, about 68 miles north of Cairo.

After a brief argument with monks and workers outside the monastery wall, soldiers opened fire on the crowd, sending them running for cover.

The soldiers then used armored personnel carriers to bulldoze the wall.