Tomorrow should see Coptic voters head to the polls to elect three names, one of whom will be the 118th patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
A general feeling of comfort and optimism pervades among the Coptic congregation vis-à-vis the five candidates running for tomorrow’s election. The names of the three winners will then be placed on the altar during Holy Mass on 4 November, following which one name will be drawn by a blindfolded boy—the name of the new pope. Copts have absolute faith that the name drawn will express divine will; the new patriarch will have been chosen God.
There can be no doubt that the Church has come a long way since the passing away last March of the beloved Pope Shenouda III who had been patriarch for some 41 years. This has been the fruit of hard work and exceptional wisdom on the part of the Church leaders: the acting patriarch Anba Pachomeus, the bishops and clergy, as well as the laymen members in the papal nominations and elections committees. They were able to expertly navigate the storms and tempests which could have rocked the boat; today we are nearing a safe docking at the final port.
Throughout the journey to elect a new patriarch, all involved had to retain their calm and exercise wisdom in the face of opposing streams and sceptics. The Church listened to all and offered logical, transparent, substantiated answers. This approach confirmed the firm principle in the Coptic Orthodox Church that the congregation should have an active role in the choice of the pastor. Here, the Coptic Church differs from the Catholic Church in which the pope is elected by the Council of Cardinals alone, in complete secrecy,
Since the approach adopted by the Coptic Orthodox Church is based on involving the people in the selection of pastor, the election process should be conducted in absolute transparency. In this context it is only fair to note that, so far, the bylaws that govern the election of the patriarch have been transparently and meticulously observed by the Church.
Anba Pola, who heads the nominations committee, last week announced the details relating to the elections that will be held tomorrow. Anba Pola said that, according to the election’s bylaws, each voter should cross out the names of the candidates he does not wish to vote for off the voting form, and leave only the name or names he wishes to vote for. The voter has the freedom to leave in one, two or three names, Anba Pola said.
I draw the reader’s attention to two points here which are somewhat out of the ordinary. The first is that candidates are chosen not by ticking in front of their names, but by crossing out the unwanted names. Second is that there is no fixed number of names to be chosen, as long as this number does not exceed three.
This conforms to the text of the bylaws. Article 16 stipulates that: “The voter steps behind a screen, and crosses out the names of the candidates whom he does not wish to elect. The remaining names should not be more than three.” This way the bylaws stipulated the selection of three names; no more. But, as I see it, the bylaws did not open the door to the freedom of choosing less than three candidates.
I pray that the election of the new patriarch proceeds in peace, and that the Lord chooses a good shepherd for the See of St Mark, a shepherd after His own heart to lead the Coptic people and promote love and peace in the land of Egypt.
WATANI International
28 October 2012