Basma Nass
“Following 33 years of monastic life, Anba Daoud, Bishop of Mansoura, passed away in the early hours of 6 December, aged 65, after a long battle with illness.” The news was announced by Fr Moussa Ibrahim, the Coptic Church’s Spokesperson.
Mass was held today as the body of Anba Daoud lay in an open coffin at the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Mary and Archangel Mikhail in Mansoura. A number of bishops and priests joined in celebrating Mass which was attended by a large Coptic congregation.
The funeral service is scheduled for 11am tomorrow Wednesday 7 December.
Pope Tawadros II mourned the departed bishop, saying that “Anba Daoud had a pure heart. He was faithful to his monastic vows and was a caring father for his congregation. For years, he bore the pain of his illness with thanksgiving, his eyes fixed on the Eternal Kingdom he yearned for so much.”
Anba Daoud was born Ihab Nazeer Khalil Wahba in Cairo, in 1957. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts with a degree in Architecture in 1978.
In July 1989, he took monastic vows as Fr Moussa al-Baramousi at al-Baramous Monastery of the Holy Virgin in Wadi al-Natroun in Egypt’s Western Desert. He was consecrated bishop by Pope Shenouda III under the name Anba Daoud was ordained as a bishop at the hands of Pope Shenouda III (Coptic Patriarch in 1971 – 2012).
Watani International
6 December 2022