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Anba Angaelos, the archbishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in London, blamed restrictions on church construction that have forced Christians to convert residential buildings into places of worship.

The service at Prince Tadros Church in the city of Minya was held amid tight security and presided over by Minya’s top cleric, Anba Makarios.

The church said in a statement Thursday that the measure, which goes into effect starting this month, is among others taken after Bishop Epiphanius, head of St. Macarius Monastery, also known as Anba Maqar, was found dead in the monastery earlier this week.

Bishop Epiphanius is head of Anba Makar Monastery near Wadi el-Natroun in coastal Beheira province.

“This is not an isolated incident; it’s an evolution of a problem,” said Bishop Anba Makarios, the leader of Coptic Christians in Minya.