“Egyptian Coptic Monks Brutally Slain in South African Monastery”

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"Egyptian Coptic Monks Brutally Slain in South African Monastery"

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The Church has reported that three Egyptian Coptic monks were “brutally killed” inside a monastery in South Africa.

According to a statement released by the South African Archdiocese of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Fathers Takla Moussa, Minah ava Marcus, and Youstos ava Marcus were murdered early on Tuesday.

A member of the Church from Egypt has been apprehended as a potential suspect in connection with the crime.

The news of the murders has reverberated profoundly within the Coptic Orthodox community, both in South Africa and beyond.

The Church’s statement expressed profound grief, acknowledging that words fail to adequately convey the depth of pain and sadness. However, it also expressed a belief that the slain monks now rest in paradise.

Archbishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church in London characterized the murders as “saddening and shocking.”

The tragic incident occurred at the Saint Mark and Saint Samuel the Confessor monastery in Cullinan, a small town situated 30 km (18 miles) east of Pretoria, the capital.

All three victims were discovered with stab wounds, as reported by provincial police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said.

A survivor recounted to the police that he had been struck with an iron rod but managed to flee and seek refuge.

Authorities are still investigating the motive behind the killings, with Col Nevhuhulwi stating that the attackers apparently departed the scene without taking any valuables.

South Africa grapples with high levels of violent crime, boasting one of the world’s highest murder rates.

Monks within the Coptic Orthodox Church, which ranks among the oldest churches globally, dedicate their lives to prayer and spiritual ascension.