Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church announced today the initial list of 17 candidates in the running to become the next pope following the death of Pope Shenouda III in March. Seven are bishops and 10 are monks. Listed alphabetically, they are as follows:
Bishops:
1. Bishop Botros (Peter): General Bishop and Pope Shenouda III's personal secretary
2. Bishop Pavnotios: Bishop of Samalut and Taha El-Aameda
3. Bishop Pishoy: Secretary of the Holy Synod and the metropolitan of Damietta, Kafr El-Sheikh and Al-Babrary and head of the Monastery of Saint Demiana.
4. Bishop Tawadros: General Bishop of El-Beheira.
5. Bishop Raphael: General Bishop of Central Cairo.
6. Bishop Kyrillos: Bishop of Milan (Italy).
7. Bishop Youannes: Former secretary of the late Pope Shenouda III.
Monks:
8. Father Anstasy El-Samuely: A monk at the Monastery of St Samuel in Minya.
9. Father Pachomius Al-Syriany: A monk at the Monastery of the Virgin Mary in Wadi Natrun.
10. Father Begul Ava Pishoy: A monk at the Monastery of St Pishoy in Wadi Natrun.
11. Father Pishoy (Paisios) St Paul: A monk at the monastery of St Paul the Anchorite in Egypt's Red Sea governorate.
12. Father Daniel Al-Syriany: A monk at the Monastery of the Virgin Mary in Wadi Natrun.
13. Father Raphael Ava Mina: A monk at the Monastery of St Mina in the desert of Maryut in Alexandria. 14. Father Seraphim Al-Syriany: A monk at the Monastery of the Virgin Mary in Wadi Natrun. 15. Father Sawiros (Severos) St Paul: A monk at the Monastery of St Paul the Anchorite in Egypt's Red Sea governorate. 16. Father Shenouda Ava Pishoy: A monk at the Monastery of St Pishoy in Wadi Natrun. 17. Father Maximos Al-Anthony: A monk at the Monastery of St Anthony in the Red Sea governorate.
Egypt's Holy Synod announced today, after a meeting attended by a large number of bishops and presided over by Bishop Pachomius, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria since the death of Pope Shenouda III in March, the final list of those who have the right to elect the next pope after accepting appeals and excluding 216 voters whose names appeared on an initial list.
The Synod accepted to add 27 names whom didn't submit their papers by the required date, the most important of these including: Fouad Iskandar, former minister of state for immigration, Sameh Makram Ebeid MP, and the journalist Mofeed Fawzi. The final number of eligible voters is 2405 Egyptians, to which are added five from the Ethiopian Church, bringing the total number of electors to 2410.
In an exclusive statement to Ahram's Arabic-language news website, Chancellor Edward Ghalib said that appeals on the above 17 papal candidates will start Saturday, 15 September, for 15 days ending Sunday, 30 September. Only the 2410 eligible voters have the right to appeal against candidates.
After closing the appeals period on candidates, the Church will announce a three-day fasting period for all Copts while the nomination committee will meet with Bishop Pachomius, acting pope, in one of the monasteries to pare down the list of 17 to a final list of a maximum of seven but at least five who will run in papal elections at a date to be set.
The three candidates that get the highest number of votes will run in an "altar lottery" where a child will be blindfolded and will choose one candidate's name from a closed box. That candidate will become the 118th pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
