The Coptic Orthodox Church announces the stripping of Fadi Shukry Iskandar, known as “Fadi al-Baramousi,” of his deaconship.
In this context, we would like to clarify that the aforementioned individual immigrated with his family to the United States many years ago and settled there. In recent years, he has been traveling between several European countries, visiting Coptic churches there. He began forming friendships with young people and becoming close to bishops and priests. He was later ordained deacon by His Grace Bishop Pavlos of Greece.
After gaining the trust of many members of the churches in European countries, he began offering to help them complete their residency procedures in the countries where they reside. He received large sums of money from many of them in exchange for this task, falsely claiming to have strong connections with the relevant authorities in these countries.
After church fathers in some of these countries learned that he was engaging in these behaviors, they sent warnings to their members in various ways against dealing with him. Some of them attempted to contact him to persuade him to return the sums he had received, and so did the victims themselves. However, he did not respond to any of them and instead continued his deceptive actions. All of His Grace Bishop Pavlos’ numerous attempts to contact him also failed.
After numerous complaints against him and his refusal to recant his mistakes, despite ongoing attempts to reform his ways to no avail, and after he caused material and psychological harm to numerous individuals and families, His Grace Bishop Pavlos, after consulting His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, issued the aforementioned excommunication decision.
The excommunication decision also included depriving him of communion, the sacramental service, and all other services within the Coptic Orthodox Church anywhere in the world.
Based on the foregoing, he must remove the ecclesiastical vestments he wears. Failure to do so would place him under full excommunication from the fellowship of the faithful.
Blessings descend upon the obedient son.
