The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church has announced the final list of the members of the electoral college that will be voting in a new pope by yearend.
The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church has announced the final list of the members of the electoral college that will be voting in a new pope by yearend.
The new pope will be the 118th patriarch of the Coptic Church, and will succeed Pope Shenouda III who passed away last March.
Speaking for the Holy Synod, Anba Pola the Bishop of Tanta said that the final voter lists includes a total of 2405 voters. Among them are 1112 members of the clergy and 1293 lay persons. A total 216 names were removed from the preliminary list of voters announced last July and 27 new names were added as a result of the appeals submitted to the Church regarding the first list.
Anba Pola said that the voters are entitled to contest the candidacy of the papal candidates until 30 September. The Church’s nomination committee will look into the contests, and will work to reduce the number of candidates to five. This reduction is done through an arduous vetting process that follows strict rules.
On 24 November voters will head to the polls to elect three out of the five candidates for the papacy. On 2 December, Holy Mass will be held, during which the names of the three winning candidates will be placed on the altar. A lot will be cast and the name drawn by a blindfolded child will be the next pope.
From now and till 2 December, the Church has declared three public fasts consecrated as a plea to God to give the Church a good pastor. Each of these fast will last for three days. The first will begin on 1 October prior to the vetting of the candidates; the second on 21 November prior to the elections; and the third will start on 28 November to precede the draw.
WATANI International
17 September 2012