Wednesday, November 7, 2012

A new Coptic Pope. . .

Here is the announcement of the election of the successor to beloved Coptic Pope Shenouda III... note the selection process (noted a while back on this blog). . .

On November 4, 2012, H.E. Metropolitan Pachomius and the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Mark Cathedral in Al Abbassiya, Cairo, Egypt and conducted the ancient apostolic tradition of the Altar Lot to choose the 118th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria.
The names of the three candidates — H.G. Bishop Roufail, H.G. Bishop Tawadrous, and Hegumen Fr. Raphael Ava Mina — were placed in a beautiful glass vase prior to the Divine Liturgy in a manner that ensured transparency and fairness. The vase was sealed with wax as the honorable fathers celebrated the Divine Liturgy.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a young boy named Bishoy was chosen by a lot to pick one name from the vase while blindfolded. Metropolitan Pachomius carefully unfolded the chosen name after much prayer and openly displayed the name — HIS GRACE BISHOP TAWADROUS — before all to see. The faithful erupted into euphoric cheers and joy.
Bishop Pakhomious then congratulated the Coptic Orthodox Church and formally announced the 118th pope of Alexandria as Pope Tawadros II. The name Tawadrous is an Arabicized version of the Greek “Theodoros,” which means “gift from God.”
May the Lord preserve his life and bless his service to the Church for many years.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have always wondered why the various Eastern Orthodox splinter groups have not tried to merge into one large denomination similar to the Roman Catholic church. One shared leader, one voice.