Morningstar News | Algeria Correspondent | Oct. 17, 2019
TIZI-OUZOU, Algeria (Morning Star News) – Authorities in Algeria on Wednesday (Oct. 16) closed the Tafath (Light) church building in Tizi-Ouzou, a day after sealing shut the country’s largest church despite resistance, sources said.
A third church in northern Algeria, Source of Light church in Makouda, was also closed on Tuesday (Oct. 15).
Pastor Mustapha Krireche of the Tafath (Light) church in Tizi-Ouzou said he was surprised how rapidly police acted to close the building of his 150-member congregation after summoning him to the police station. From there they quickly drove him to the church site, site, where more than a dozen officers were about to seal the main door.
The pastor asked them permission to gather a few items, he said.
“As soon as I arrived at the scene, seeing that they were going to seal it, I asked the officer, a lady, to give me the time to look for the keys to be able to recover a few items,” Pastor Krireche told Morning Star News. “The officer told me, “I’ll give you half an hour; if you’re not back then, we go into action and close everything.”
After he collected items, the church building was sealed within 15 minutes, he said.