Abuna Abdou was born in Twa to a Christian family of the Catholic Coptic rite. After attending the diocesan seminary, in 1995 he joined the Salesians of El Cairo Zeitun. He did his first profession in Rome in 1997 and pronounced the perpetual vows in Cremisan, Holy Land, in 2002, where he studied Theology. He was ordained a priest in his native country in 2003.
He served in Bethlehem (2003-2005), and then he spent six years in Rome, where he studied at the Salesian Pontifical University. He returned to his Province in 2011, but due to his desire to do a special service in favour of the youth in Upper Egypt, where he would have wished to found a Salesian presence, in 2014 he asked to be accepted for a trial period of five years, in the Diocese of Minia, where he was warmly welcomed by the local Bishop and was entrusted with tasks of high responsibility especially in the economic-administrative field.
Precisely in Minia, on Wednesday 30th, while he was leaving by car the place where he lived, he was run over by a van that was coming at high speed and there he found untimely death.
Abouna Abdou had a strong and determined character and a bright intelligence. He was a talented student, but with the strong desire to donate himself totally to the youth of his country. Abuna Abdou sincerely loved the Salesian Congregation.
About 50 priests concelebrated the funeral service, in which a great number of people also took part. “This was, to all the faithful, an occasion to acknowledge the good he was doing to all the Christians of the parish”, was the comment of Fr. Giovanni Laconi, Provincial Secretary of the Middle East (MOR).
