Election of Pope Tawadros II: Many Years

Pope Tawadros (Theodore) II at his enthronement

Fr John Salter writes, in Chrysostom for Advent-St Nicholas 2012:

Months have gone by since the death of Pope Shenouda and now a successor, has been chosen: Pope and Patriarch Tawadros II aged sixty, who studied, at one time, in the United Kingdom.

He was chosen by a Council of prominent members of the Coptic community – the elders, met to pick a worthy candidate. Candidates were narrowed down to three, whose names were written on sheets of paper and then a youth picked one at random, Candidates have to be Egyptian by birth, and must be at least 50 years of age and have served at least 15 years as a monk. With the difficult position that the Copts find themselves in Egypt it is, perhaps, not a position that many would seek.

Our prayers are for the repose of a Confessor of the Faith. His Holiness Pope Shenouda III and for his successor, who may not only be a Confessor, but with the deterioration in Egypt could possibly suffer martyrdom, as did Pope Shenouda‘s Foreign Secretary Bishop Samuel, who was shot with the then President, who was sympathetic to the Copts and paid for it with his life.