And with lots being drawn to decided on who it will be.
Brother Raphael
Bishop Tawadros
Bishop Raphael
Delegates to a special electoral synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria have selected a monk and two bishops as candidates to succeed Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria.
On 29 October 2012 the 2,405 members of the Synod of Bishops and the church’s General Lay Council meeting at St. Mark’s Cathedral, in Cairo’s Abbasiya neighborhood cast ballots to select three candidates for the post. Seventeen names had been put forward for consideration by the commission, which narrowed the list to five candidates.
Read it all in Anglican Ink.
They have a child blindfolded and choose a name at random from a hat. (I think it’s a hat.)
I hope the Holy Spirit chooses Brother Raphael. He seems the most experienced, judging by his impressive beard alone. They Copts need a leader now more than ever.
I’m not so sure about the details of its execution, but the process of choosing their pope by lot dates back to St Matthias. I wonder if bishops are selected in the same way–anyone know?
The Coptic patriarch himself selects all their other bishops.
Ta.
Don’t know about the Copts, but there is a scriptural precedent in the selection of St. Matthias.