The Supreme Court of Cassation of Egypt confirmed on Wednesday, July 1, the death sentence pronounced in previous judicial proceedings against Wael Saad Tawadros, former Egyptian Orthodox Coptic monk convicted of the murder by Anba Epiphanios, the abbot killed on 29 July 2018 at St. Macarius Monastery, in the Wadi Natrun region. The Court of Cassation instead sentenced monk Falta’os al-Makari to life imprisonment as an accomplice in the same crime, canceling the death sentence previously also imposed on him by the Damanhur Criminal Court, reported Fides News Agency.
The two previous death sentences had been issued by the Damanhur Criminal Court on February 23, 2019, and on April 24, 2019, they had received the nihil obstat from the Mufti of Egypt, the Islamic religious authority in charge of issuing the fatwas (legal opinions based on the Sharia) on relevant issues. In Egypt, a death sentence cannot be considered final unless approved by the Mufti.
The first double death sentence was immediately defined as “a catastrophe” by Anba Agathon, Coptic Orthodox Bishop of Maghagha. Bishop Agathon had immediately invited to pray for the two condemned.