Egypt: Coptic Orthodox bishop murdered

Bishop Epiphanius

Source: Fides

Coptic Orthodox Bishop Epiphanius, Abbot of the Monastery of San Macarius, (Dayr Abū Maqār) has been murdered.

The lifeless Abbot was found by monks lying in a pool of blood, inside the monastery, at dawn on Sunday 29 July, on the path that led from his cell to the church. It seems that the Bishop was hit on the head with a sharp, heavy object. Local websites speak of "criminal act" and "terrorist act", but at the moment the investigations have not yet provided any further information.

An official note released on Sunday evening by Father Boulos Hallym, said the date for the bishop's funeral can only be decided when investigations by the judicial authorities within the monastery are completed.

Bishop Epiphanius was 64 years old. A native of Tanta, and a graduate in medicine, Abbot Epiphanius entered Saint Macarius the Great monastery, in Wadi Natrun region, in 1984, and was ordained a priest in 2002. A researcher and scholar, he had worked on the translation from Greek to Arabic of several books of the Bible, also taking part in the tenth International Conference of Coptic Studies, held in Rome in 2012. The 100 monks of St. Macarius Monastery elected him as their Abbot on 3 February 2013. A disciple of Matta el Meskin - spiritual father and key figure in the Coptic Orthodox Church - Abbot Epiphanius was a keen ecumenist and had strong friendships with monastic communities of the Catholic Church.

Patriarch Tawadros II of Alexandria expressed his condolences in an official statement, describing the late bishop as filled with modesty and gentleness.