Pope prays that God would 'convert hearts' of terrorist who attacked Coptic church in Egypt

Pope Francis has expressed his "closeness" to Egypt's Coptic Christians and prayed that God may "convert the hearts" of the terrorist who carried out the attacks that left 11 people dead in Cairo on Friday.

In his traditional Sunday Angelus address on Sunday, Francis prayed for the victims of the attack on the Mar Mina church in the southern Cairo suburb of Helwan and the shooting at a Christian-owned shop located 4 kilometers (3 miles) away from the church.

"I express my closeness to the Coptic Orthodox brothers of Egypt, struck two days ago by two attacks on a church and a business on the outskirts of Cairo," the pope said, according to Crux.

"May the Lord welcome the souls of the dead, sustain the injured, their families and the entire community, and convert the hearts of the violent," he added.

Francis had recently visited Egypt last April in an effort to reach out to the country's Coptic Orthodox community, which is the largest Christian minority in the Middle East.

Since December 2016, Copts have been targeted in a series of attacks that have resulted in more than 100 deaths. Egypt has been placed under a state of emergency since April following the attacks claimed by the Islamic State on two Coptic Christian churches on Palm Sunday.

ISIS had also claimed responsibility for the latest attack through its Amaq news agency, although the group had provided no evidence for the claim.

Egypt's Interior Ministry said that security forces had "immediately dealt with the (attacker) and arrested him after he was wounded," adding that "[l]egal measures have been taken." Investigators said that the gunman had previously carried out several attacks since last year.

Before attacking the church, the gunman first shot at a Christian-owned shop, killing two people. At least nine people, including a policeman, were killed when the terrorist proceeded to attack the church.

Additionally, the attack has left five people wounded, including two women who were said to be in a serious condition. On Friday evening, a joint funeral led by the head of the Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, was held for eight of the victims at the Virgin Mary church in Helwan.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offered his condolences to the victims' families and he has called on security forces to step up the safety measures at sensitive sites, according to a statement released by his office.

Security officials have announced that they have stepped up controls around Christian churches in the country in preparation for the celebration of Christmas, which falls on Jan. 7 on the calendar followed in Eastern Christianity.