St. Macarius’s Faltaous al-Makary tries to commit suicide

CAIRO – 6 August 2018: Faltaous al-Makary, a monk in his mid-thirties, tried to commit suicide inside St. Macarius Monastery in Wadi El-Natrun on Monday, according to a source in the church who refused to give a name.

The monk cut his wrist and then jumped off a high building inside the monastery. The Monk was reported to be rushed to a hospital.

The suicide attempt coincides with an on-going investigation taking place inside the St. Macarius Monastery regarding the murder of bishop Epiphanius, who was found dead and covered in blood on Sunday July 29.

The preliminary security investigation suggested that Bishop Epiphanius was hit by a sharp object. The body of the bishop was transferred to the morgue of the Wadi El-Natrun Central Hospital.

Following the mysterious murder, Pope Tawadros II ordered to stop accepting monks in all Coptic Orthodox monasteries in Egypt for a year starting August 2.

On August 5, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ordered stripping Monk Ash'eyaa al-Makary of his sacerdotal rank for committing “inappropriate” actions which contradicted with the monastic behavior and life.

A statement signed by Pope Tawadros II revealed that a special committee, formed by the Monastic Committee and the Monasteries Affairs of the Holy Synod, conducted a monastic investigation with Makary.

The church’s statement did not reveal the "inappropriate actions" committed by Makary; instead, Makary was expelled from the St. Macarius Monastery in Wadi El-Natrun to return to his birth name, Wael Saad.

During the funeral of bishop Epiphanius, Pope Tawadros II said that the late Bishop was an ideal priest, adding that he wrote many books in different fields of knowledge.

Pope Tawadros also added that he always used to consult Bishop Epiphanius in different issues due to his extensive knowledge. The pope pointed out that he tasked Bishop Epiphanius with attending conferences; the late bishop attended 20 conferences in five years.

"He was simple in his clothes, his house and his food. Bishop Epiphanius was very simple and he preferred to sit in the last rows," Tawadros said.