A council of Egypt’s Coptic Christians on Monday started the process of choosing a new pope to succeed Pope Shenouda III who died in March.
Pope Shenouda III led the church for four decades until his death in March at the age of 88.
About 2,400 people have the right to vote and must pick from a shortlist announced by the church on October 13 and which comprises two bishops and three monks aged between 49 and 70.
Picked by the church, the voters include leading members of the church, public figures and a handful of representatives of the Ethiopian Church, which has historic links to the church in Egypt.
The three most popular candidates go forward to the November 4 draw which, according to an ancient tradition, will be carried out by a child who must be blindfolded. The new pope will be the 118th to lead the Coptic Church.
“We are all so worried from the situation in Egypt now and the rise of Islamists to power but the church has always been harassed,” said Magdy Helmi, a 53-year old voting as a representative of a provincial branch of the Coptic Church.
“The church became an expert in surviving bad times,” he said in a report by Reuters.
Monday’s voting took place at a cathedral complex in Cairo’s Abbasiya district. Bearded priests in black robes queued up to post their ballot papers into transparent boxes.
“I hope that whoever wins will have the patience and wisdom of Pope Shenouda as times are tough on both Christians and Muslims – on all Egyptians,” said Sameh Nazeh, a 39-year old Copt who was waiting for his wife – one of the voters – to cast her ballot.
The voters will have to elect from five candidates, BBC reported.
The candidates include Fr. Pachomios al-Syriani, a monk from the Paromeos Monastery in Wadi al-Natrun; Bishop Raphael, an auxiliary bishop in Cairo; Fr. Raphael Ava Mina, a monk at St Mina Monastery near Alexandria; Fr. Seraphim al-Syriani, a monk from the Paromeos Monastery; and Bishop Tawadros, an auxiliary bishop to acting head of the Coptic Church, Bishop Pachomios.
The Coptic Church has about 16 million members worldwide, and Copts make up 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 80 million.
Sources