The Egyptian Coptic Church has reported that three Egyptian Coptic monks were brutally killed inside a monastery in South Africa.
The victims were identified as Father Takla Moussa, Father Minah ava Marcus, and Father Youstos ava Marcus.
The murders occurred early on Tuesday, according to a statement from the South African Archdiocese of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
An Egyptian church member has been arrested as a potential suspect in the case.
The killings have deeply affected the Coptic Orthodox community in South Africa and beyond.
The Church’s statement expressed the immense pain and sadness felt, acknowledging that the monks are now in paradise with our Fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Archbishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church in London described the murders as both saddening and shocking.
The tragic incident took place at the Saint Mark and Saint Samuel the Confessor monastery in Cullinan, a small town located 30 km (18 miles) east of Pretoria, the capital.
According to provincial police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, all three individuals were found with stab wounds, as reported by Reuters news agency.
A survivor informed the police that he was struck with an iron rod but managed to escape and hide.
Col Nevhuhulwi mentioned that the police are still investigating the reason behind the killings, noting that the attackers left the scene without taking any valuable items.
South Africa has high levels of violent crime and one of the highest murder rates in the world.
Monks in the Coptic Orthodox Church, one of the oldest churches in the world, dedicate their lives to prayer and spiritual growth.
