Funeral Prayers of the Three Monks in the Archdiocese of South Africa
At eleven o’clock this morning, in the Church of Virgin Mary and Saint Mark the Apostle in the Parkview area of Johannesburg, Funeral Prayers were held for the three monks who were martyred following a criminal incident on Tuesday inside their Monastery, the Monastery of Saint Mark the Apostle and Saint Samuel the Confessor in South Africa. They are:
– The Monk Hegumen Takla El-Samuely
– The Monk Mina Ava Markos
– The Monk Yostos Ava Markos
The Funeral Prayers were prayed by His Eminence Metropolitan Antonious Markos, Metropolitan of South Africa and the delegation appointed by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, to attend the prayer: His Grace Bishop Boules, (General Bishop of Evangelism in Africa), His Grace Bishop Joseph (Bishop of Namibia and its affiliated regions), and Father Elisha Rezk, (priest of St. Mark’s Church in Washington).
The Priests, Deacons and a large number of African and Egyptian congregation members of the Diocese of South Africa also participated in the Prayers.
The Funeral was attended by Ambassador Ahmed Al-Fadly, Egypt’s ambassador to South Africa, and members of the embassy. The ambassador delivered a speech in which he offered his condolences on the passing of the three monks, noting his continuous communication with H.H. Pope Tawadros II and that he keeps him informed of all developments in the situation.
In his speech, His Grace Bishop Boules thanked the Egyptian ambassador and the members of the embassy, and offered his condolences to His Eminence Metropolitan Antonious Markos and the priests and congregation of the Diocese of South Africa. He conveyed the condolences of H.H. Pope Tawadros II to them, referring to the fathers whom His Holiness sent to participate in the Funeral Prayers.
His Grace Bishop Boules emphasized that whoever kills is a person with an evil heart, and that while people kill each other, the Lord Christ continues to offer His life to the world.
He added: “We are here to offer our lives for others, following the example of the Lord Christ.” His Grace highlighted that the three monks were loved in the region, and that we should not consider them as dead, but rather that they are now alive, shining brighter, and continuing their work for the Church through their continuous prayers on our behalf.
The bodies are scheduled to be returned to Egypt, after the completion of travel procedures, to pray over them and bury them in the monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Mount Qalamoun…
This news was originally published on the website of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Please click here to read the full text.
