On Thursday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the recently opened Coptic Cathedral of the Nativity, not far from Cairo. “It is a very special thing to have this in the heart of the Middle East, this enormous cathedral where people can come worship in Egypt,” he told the press. “It’s a land of religious freedom and opportunity. It’s remarkable.” But many Coptic Christians feel the new house of worship means little given the persecution they face.

Copts make up only about 10% of the Muslim-majority country. But they trace…