Coptic monk arrested over murder of bishop in Egypt
Coptic monk arrested over murder of bishop in Egypt
Source: The Guardian
The murder of a prominent bishop in a Coptic monastery in the Egyptian desert has been solved after a monk confessed to the crime.
The body of Bishop Epiphanius was found on 29 July at the entrance to his monastic cell in the Saint Macarius monastery, which lies on a desert road north-west of Cairo. The head of the monastery was found in a pool of blood and had received blows to the back of his skull.
The accused monk, Isaiah al-Makari, was defrocked by the church days later, prompting a statement that did not mention the murder but which declared that al-Makari had been under investigation since the beginning of the year.
A group of monks had previously requested that al-Makari remain in the church by signing a petition, which was delivered to Bishop Epiphanius and Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic church, prior to the murder.
Categories: Africa, Catholic Church, Christianity, Egypt, The Muslim Times