As reported by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) on 6 December 2018, Saudi Arabia has allowed a Coptic mass to be held in Riyad: "The religious services led by Bishop Morkos took place over two days (30 November -1 December 2018) at the home of a member of the Coptic community who works in Riyadh, in the presence of dozens of Copts. Representatives of the Egyptian Embassy in Saudi Arabia were also present. Bishop Morkos brought the holy objects required for the ceremony from Cairo." Over a year ago, Crown-Prince Mohammad Bin Salman expressed his intention to establish a more moderate form of Islam and even visited several leaders of different Christian denominations on his foreign tour. Reports earlier in 2018 stating that Saudi Arabia had agreed to allow Catholic churches to be built for Christian expatriates were later denied by the Vatican (as reported by the Daily Mail on 4 May 2018).
Henriette Kats, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "There are many Egyptian workers in the Saudi Kingdom - including Christians. This friendly gesture towards Egypt and the Coptic Church gives hope for a future easing of restrictions. Christian gatherings have continued in private throughout the years in homes and compounds (sometimes numbering hundreds of Christians) but have never before been officially permitted. The main difference now is that there seems to be the political will to somehow allow Christian gatherings. The much feared religious police have been stripped of several of their powers and there was a notable reduction in the number of raids on illegal church meetings in 2018. Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia is still ranked 15th on the Open Doors World Watch List WWL 2019 and a lot more needs to be done to reduce the pressure on Christians, for instance in education, where schoolbooks openly encourage jihad against non-Muslims. Also, Saudi Christian converts continue to suffer heavy pressure - from their families in particular - and the execution of apostates is still law. Despite this, a first careful step towards more religious freedom has been made and future developments will be watched with keen interest."
