Bishop Epiphanius was found dead in front of his own monastic cell at the Saint Macarius Monastery in Wadi al-Natroun on 29th July.
The Cairo Court of Appeal announced that Ash’eyaa al-Makary and Faltaous al-Makary will face their first trial session on 23rd September.
Bishop Epiphanius was reported to have been discovered with fractures in the back of his skull, leading to a suspicion of murder.
It is alleged that Ash’eyaa, 33, confessed to the killing earlier this month, and was deprived of his ecclesiastical rank over behaviour that violated his duties.
He is said to have alleged that he worked alongside fellow monk Faltaous to carry out the killing. Faltaous later attempted suicide on 6th August to escape punishment. He is currently under police guard at Qasr al-Aini Hospital.
Ash’eyaa is reported to have claimed that he hit Epiphanius three times on his head using an iron tube, which was prepared for the crime. He added that his partner in the crime Faltaous had been making sure the coast was clear until the deed was done.
The crime has shaken Egypt’s Coptic Church whose members constitute ten per cent of the Muslim-majority country. They have also been targeted in a series of attacks by Islamic militants since winter 2016.
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