Bishop Epiphanius
On July 1, 2020, the Court of Cassation upheld a death sentence against former monk Wael Saad (formerly known as Monk Ash’eyaa).
The Court of Cassation on Wednesday upheld a death sentence against a former monk and changed the penalty against another monk to life imprisonment, over killing Bishop Epiphanius, late head of the Saint Macarius Monastery in Wadi El-Natroun in northern E
The "murderers" of late head of the Saint Macarius Monastery in Wadi El-Natroun last year faced a "premeditated murder" charge.
Damanhur Criminal Court ruled on Saturday to refer two Coptic Christian monks to Egypt's top religious authority for consideration of the death penalty against them over killing Head of St. Macarius Monastery in Wadi El-Natroun, Bishop Epiphanius in July
Damanhour Criminal Court adjourned the trial of the monks accused of murdering Bishop Epiphanius to February 23.
A security source told Egypt Today that monk Zeinou likely died of natural causes, ruling out reported suicide as cause of the monk’s death.
Monk Zeinoun al-Makari who was recently moved from St. Macarius Monastery allegedly took his own life in Al-Muharraq Monastery in Upper Egypt’s Assiut.
During the trial, Ash’eyaa pleaded not guilty, claiming that he was framed, al-Dostor newspaper reported.
Bishop Epiphanius was found dead on July 29 inside the monastery and two monks, who were kept in detention pending investigation, confessed their crime.
Monk Faltaous al-Makary who is charged with murdering Bishop Epiphanius was hospitalized due to a degraded case of gangrene in the leg
The expelled monk Ash’eyaa and Monk Faltaous al-Makary were charged with the “deliberate murder” of Bishop Epiphanius.
The monks’ letter, which depended on a study conducted by St. Macarius Monastery, described the current monastic system in Egypt as "bitter".
The investigation team concluded that the murder of Bishop Epiphanius was committed by Isaiah Macarius with the help of Valtawa al-Maqari, who tried to commit suicide after Isaiah’s arrest.
“A faithful monk, but not aware of the seriousness of the wrong theological expression,” Pope Shenouda described Father Matthew in his writings.
A reliable source in the prosecution office in Wadi al-Natrun denied any link between former Monk Ash’eyaa el-Makary, on Sunday, and the murder of Bishop Epiphanius
Chairman of the Egyptian Union for Human Rights urged media to stop discrediting Ash’eyaa by directing baseless accusations of murder at the former monk.
St. Macarius Monastery has enjoyed a special status for decades.
Faltaous al-Makary, a monk in his mid-thirties, tried to commit suicide inside St. Macarius Monastery on Monday, according to a source in the church.
The decisions follow the murder of Bishop Epiphanius.
As a consequence of the mysterious murder ofHead of St. Macarius Monastery in Wadi El-Natrun, Bishop Epiphanius, Pope Tawadros II ordered on Thursday to stop accepting monks in all Coptic Orthodox monasteries in Egypt for a year starting from August 2.
