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Coptic Christians Celebrate Christmas in New Cathedral, Tight Security

(L) Coptic young students of the industrial school of recycling in Garbage city in Cairo are waiting for Christmas gifts distribution inside the school in eastern Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 30, 2017. (R) Teacher Mariam Shawqy (R) and teacher Mariam Helmy (L) pack gift bags with new clothes for poor coptic students, a few days before the Coptic Christmas is celebrated on Jan 7, inside the recycling school in the Garbage City eastern Cairo, Dec. 27, 2017. (H. Elrasam)
1/8 (L) Coptic young students of the industrial school of recycling in Garbage city in Cairo are waiting for Christmas gifts distribution inside the school in eastern Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 30, 2017. (R) Teacher Mariam Shawqy (R) and teacher Mariam Helmy (L) pack gift bags with new clothes for poor coptic students, a few days before the Coptic Christmas is celebrated on Jan 7, inside the recycling school in the Garbage City eastern Cairo, Dec. 27, 2017. (H. Elrasam)
<div>(L) Coptic women buy balloons and candies a few days before the Coptic Christmas is celebrated in the Coptic neighborhood of the Garbage City Eastern Cairo, Egypt. Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Brothers Maged (L) 5 years, Magdy (R) 7 years, are in their father&rsquo;s toktok. Magdy says &#39;My older sisters will decorate the house with my mom and aunties for the visitors who will come on the feast, and we will play with the kids,&#39; Dec. 30, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)</div>
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(L) Coptic women buy balloons and candies a few days before the Coptic Christmas is celebrated in the Coptic neighborhood of the Garbage City Eastern Cairo, Egypt. Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Brothers Maged (L) 5 years, Magdy (R) 7 years, are in their father’s toktok. Magdy says 'My older sisters will decorate the house with my mom and aunties for the visitors who will come on the feast, and we will play with the kids,' Dec. 30, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
<div>(L) A shoe seller puts plastic and rubber shoes and flip-flops on display a few days before the Coptic Christmas is celebrated in the Coptic neighborhood of Garbage City, Eastern Cairo, Egypt. Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Fady Safwat, 13 years, who works as a garbage collector with his family and studies at the recycling school in the Garbage city in eastern Cairo, says &#39;My father will give me some money plus what I have already saved and I&rsquo;ll go to buy new shoes,&#39; Dec. 30, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)</div>
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(L) A shoe seller puts plastic and rubber shoes and flip-flops on display a few days before the Coptic Christmas is celebrated in the Coptic neighborhood of Garbage City, Eastern Cairo, Egypt. Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Fady Safwat, 13 years, who works as a garbage collector with his family and studies at the recycling school in the Garbage city in eastern Cairo, says 'My father will give me some money plus what I have already saved and I’ll go to buy new shoes,' Dec. 30, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
<div>(L) Fisherman Emad cleans a tilapia skin before selling it in the Coptic neighborhood of Garbage City in eastern Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Adam Samaan, 14 years, who works as a garbage collector with his family and studies at the recycling school in the Garbage city in eastern Cairo says &#39;My mom will cook fish for us after we come back from church on that day,&#39; Dec. 30, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)</div>
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(L) Fisherman Emad cleans a tilapia skin before selling it in the Coptic neighborhood of Garbage City in eastern Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Adam Samaan, 14 years, who works as a garbage collector with his family and studies at the recycling school in the Garbage city in eastern Cairo says 'My mom will cook fish for us after we come back from church on that day,' Dec. 30, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
<div>(L) A grocery store in the Coptic neighborhood of Garbage City putting seasonal fruits on display few days before the Coptic Christmas to be celebrated on Jan 7. In Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Saif Zakarya, 13 years, who works as a garbage collector with his family and studies at the recycling school in the Garbage city eastern Cairo says, &#39;My father bring us lots of food on that day, I liked the fruits he brought in the last feast, and he promised he will bring me bananas,&#39; Dec. 30, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)</div>
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(L) A grocery store in the Coptic neighborhood of Garbage City putting seasonal fruits on display few days before the Coptic Christmas to be celebrated on Jan 7. In Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Saif Zakarya, 13 years, who works as a garbage collector with his family and studies at the recycling school in the Garbage city eastern Cairo says, 'My father bring us lots of food on that day, I liked the fruits he brought in the last feast, and he promised he will bring me bananas,' Dec. 30, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
<div>(L) The brber shop of &#39;Eissa&#39; in the coptic neighborhood of Garbage City, one of the poor neighborhoods in Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Abanoub Wasfy, 12, a coptic boy who lives and works with his family in the Garbage city eastern Cairo says, &#39;I&rsquo;ll go to the barber and will ask him to cut my hair like the soccer player David Beckham&#39;, Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)</div>
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(L) The brber shop of 'Eissa' in the coptic neighborhood of Garbage City, one of the poor neighborhoods in Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Abanoub Wasfy, 12, a coptic boy who lives and works with his family in the Garbage city eastern Cairo says, 'I’ll go to the barber and will ask him to cut my hair like the soccer player David Beckham', Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
<div>(L) A street lamb designed as an effigy church depicting Jesus is part of the street decoration for Christmas in the poor neighborhood of the Garbage City eastern Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Silwanece Beshay, 13 years old, who works as a garbage collector with his family and studies at the recycling school in the Garbage city eastern Cairo, says, &#39;Me and my family will go to the church on that day and then after we go to sleep because we have to work everyday.&#39; (H. Elrasam/VOA)</div>
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(L) A street lamb designed as an effigy church depicting Jesus is part of the street decoration for Christmas in the poor neighborhood of the Garbage City eastern Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Silwanece Beshay, 13 years old, who works as a garbage collector with his family and studies at the recycling school in the Garbage city eastern Cairo, says, 'Me and my family will go to the church on that day and then after we go to sleep because we have to work everyday.' (H. Elrasam/VOA)
<div>(L) A young boy jumps on a street trampoline few days before coptic Christmas is celebrated in a poor coptic neighborhood known as Garbage City Eastern Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Kerolos Rafat Wasfy, 10 years, who works as a garbage collector with his family and studies at the recycling school in the Garbage city in eastern Cairo, says &#39;I&rsquo;ll play with my friends everywhere and I&rsquo;ll spend the whole time playing with swings&#39; in Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 30, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)</div>
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(L) A young boy jumps on a street trampoline few days before coptic Christmas is celebrated in a poor coptic neighborhood known as Garbage City Eastern Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2017. (R) Kerolos Rafat Wasfy, 10 years, who works as a garbage collector with his family and studies at the recycling school in the Garbage city in eastern Cairo, says 'I’ll play with my friends everywhere and I’ll spend the whole time playing with swings' in Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 30, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
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CAIRO — 

The head of the Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, led midnight mass in the cathedral of Egypt’s new administrative capital on Saturday, a service attended by President Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

The mass, on the eve of Coptic Christmas, which is celebrated on Jan. 7, was the first to be held in the newly built cathedral and took place amid tight security. Sisi was cheered by worshippers as he entered the building.

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The new Egyptian capital, announced in March 2015, is intended partly to reduce crowding in Cairo.

Some 45 km (28 miles) east of Cairo, the city, which has not yet been given a name, will be home to government ministries, housing and an airport.

The celebrations were held days after attacks on a Coptic church and another Christian-owned shop that left more than 10 people dead.

Egypt’s large Christian minority has increasingly been targeted in recent years by Islamist militants including Islamic State, which is waging an insurgency in the north of the remote Sinai Peninsula.

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