Church leaders confirmed the death of Bishop Epiphanius but the circumstances around his death remain uncertain.
The Coptic Archbishop of London, Archbishop Angaelos said: “Mourning the tragic death of our brother and friend Bishop Epiphanius, Abbot of St Makarious Monastery.
“A kind and gentle man, and a faithful shepherd and theologian of the Coptic Orthodox Church.”
The religious figure’s body was discovery in the monastery near Wadi el-Natroun in Beheira Governorate on Sunday.
The media Twitter page of the UK Coptic Orthodox Church said: “Reports emerging of the brutal murder today of Coptic Bishop Epiphanius, Abbot of Saint Macarius Monastery, Egypt.”
Bishop Epiphanius’ head was smashed and there were injuries to his back, according to unnamed security officials who spoke with the Associated Press news agency.
Egypt’s Christian minority, which constitutes ten per cent of the Muslim-majority country, has been targeted in a series of attacks by Islamic militants since winter 2016.
Twenty-nine people were killed when a suicide bomber targeted St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Cairo on 22nd December 2016.
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