Three Finalists emerge in race for Egypt’s Coptic Christian leadership.(AA).Three finalists in race for Egypt’s Coptic Christian leadership have emerged after 90 percent of the 2,406 electors selected among archbishops and bishops casted their votes early on Monday. The finalists were Bishop Rafael, 54, Father Rafael Ava Mina, 70, and Father Pachomious al-Suriani, 49, according to Ahram Online. After officially revealed later on Monday night, the names of the top three vote-getters will later be written on separate pieces of paper and placed in a box on the altar of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo. On Nov. 4, a child will be blindfolded and asked to choose one of the papers. The person chosen will be enthroned in a ceremony on Nov. 18.
Coptic Christians started voting early Monday to elect a new leader to succeed Pope Shenuda III, who passed away in March leaving behind a community anxious about its status under an Islamist-led government. The death of Shenuda, who headed the church for four decades, set in motion the process to elect a new patriarch to lead the community through the post-revolution era in Egypt, which is marked by increased sectarian tension.
According to a report by Egypt’s al-Ahram Online, that included a summary on each candidate’s resume:
*Father Pachomious al-Suriani: A monk at the Paromeos Monastery (dedicated to the Virgin Mary) in Wadi Natrun, a valley situated in Egypt’s Nitrian Desert. Born in Aswan, Upper Egypt, in 1963, he holds a joint degree in science and education. Father Pachomious currently resides in Italy.
*Bishop Rafael: Auxiliary bishop of central Cairo and the capital’s Heliopolis district, a former aide to the late Pope Shenouda III and a member of the Coptic Church’s Holy Synod. Born in Cairo in 1954 and a graduate of Ain Shams University’s medical faculty, Rafael was ordained bishop in June 1997.
*Father Rafael Ava Mina: A monk at St Mina Monastery (Mar Mina), located in the Western Desert near the coastal town of Alexandria. Born in Cairo in 1942, Rafael has a law degree from Ain Shams University.
*Father Seraphim al-Souriani: Also a monk at the Paromeos Monastery. Born in 1959 in Cairo, Seraphim holds a science degree from Ain Shams University. He lives in the U.S.
*Bishop Tawadros: Auxiliary bishop for the northern Beheira governorate, and auxiliary to Bishop Pachomious (who is currently serving as acting pope). A member of the Holy Synod, the Coptic Church’s highest authority, Tawadros was born in 1952 and studied pharmaceutical sciences at Alexandria University. He was ordained bishop in 1997.
They all have been visiting churches and preaching across the country ahead of the voting.
Copts around the world were asked to fast for three days before the voting, and a second period of fasting will begin on Oct. 31, said Bishop Paul, spokesman for the selection committee.
One cleric who did not make the short list is hardline Bishop Bishoy because of, as the state-owned Egyptian Gazette said in a recent editorial, “his fierce attacks on other denominations and his previous statements to the press that could have sparked sectarian sedition in the country.”
Bishoy came under fire over comments he made about the Muslim holy book, the Quran, and his exclusion suggests the church is trying to keep controversial figures out of the race.Read the full story here.
