Today of all days, Palm Sunday, the terrible news has reached us of an attack on Christians in a Coptic church in Tanta, who were worshipping together in joyful anticipation of Easter. Christians have thus yet again been targeted in an act of bloodshed. We condemn this terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms.

We grieve with the Egyptian people and the families of the victims and our thoughts are with those injured. The background to the attack must now be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice.

The perpetrators’ plan to undermine peaceful coexistence by driving a wedge between people of different faiths must not be allowed to succeed.