Political Quotes

“shortly after midnight Mass during the early hours of New Year's Day, a heinous suicide bombing attack at the Saints Church in Alexandria, Egypt, killed 21 innocent worshippers and injured dozens of others. My condolences go out to the families of the victims and to the Coptic community. This was a devastating loss for the Christian community in Egypt and Christian communities around the world, including in my home State of Illinois. I urge the Egyptian government to work swiftly and within the rule of law to bring those responsible for this heinous crime to justice. The Obama administration already has offered U.S. law enforcement assistance, which I encourage Egypt to accept--particularly in light of findings that indicate al-Qaida or other international terrorism networks were involved. Unfortunately, this bombing attack is not an isolated incident in Egypt. Just about one year ago, three men armed with automatic weapons killed six Christian churchgoers as they emerged from a Christmas Mass service in the Egyptian town of Naga Hammadi, along with one Muslim off-duty police officer. While I commend the Egyptian government's quick arrest and ongoing prosecution of the four suspects in that case, the fact that these incidents of violence against their own Christian community have continued in Egypt is very worrying. Coptic Christians have been practicing their faith in Egypt since antiquity.”