I wrote this article upon reading the news published on Copts United website citing what's been published in the Seventh Day newspaper that Bishop Pfnotios said that Bishop Bishoy was mostly behind the appeal against him in the papal elections. Here I must say that someone has to answer this question: Why princes of the Coptic Church are fighting and wrestling to reach that office? One of them is a famous bishop supported by another bishop who was a secretary for the late pope Shenouda III.
All of them are bishops and monks whose lusts are supposed to be dead and they live as angels on earth! Why should those angels fight to have such position and offer the Coptic Christians the due pastoral care? It's become more of a political position, which is to be gained by all means: legal and illegal, moral and immoral! Lying, deception, electoral bribes, and fabricating rumors against the opponent are now acceptable by many candidates in order to reach that office!
We are talking about the spiritual leaders of the church who should never feud with each other for they are but brothers with the holy spirit dwelling in them.
Why should such ascetics insist on having such position? It can't be for a spiritual reason, as spiritual people should surrender and humiliate themselves before God.
I have always said that the regulation of 1957 is not a sacred text or a heavenly law. It was made by people who were seeking the good of the church in 1975, but, as many people think, it's no longer fit for 2012. Such regulation has made the electoral voting bloc for the papal elections less than 2800 voters, while the voting bloc in Aljazira club in Cairo is more than 30 thousand!
Why don't we postpone the papal elections for a couple of years to give ourselves a chance to calm down and draft a better regulation? Furthermore, I believe we should reconsider the altar lot rule as it should only occurs among fully equal candidates when it's really hard to choose. In fact, many Popes were not elected according to this rule, and it's not an excuse to use it forever that Pope Shenouda was chosen by the altar lot. If we have to follow this rule, we can ignore the elections completely. I hope we study the matter rationally at that very significant time.
This is the opinion of one of the children of the Coptic Orthodox Church and the coming pope, and this opinion may be right or wrong. Additionally, I don't favor any of the candidates, but rather, I do favor my church as well as my people.
