The Coptic Orthodox Church on Wednesday held the first mass to introduce the five Church figures being considered for the papacy at the Bishop Bishoy Cathedral in Wadi al-Natrun.
The five being considered are Bishop Tawadros, auxiliary bishop for Beheira, Bishop Raphael, assistant bishop for Central Cairo, and monks Raphael Ava Mina, Pachomius al-Soriany and Saravim al-Soriany.
Bishop Raphael recited parts of the Bible during the service. His reading was followed by a sermon highlighting core Christian values. Rafael refused to comment on why some candidates were taken out of the running, but said that if he were chosen, he would seek to establish good relations with the state.
Meanwhile, Bishop Pachomius, the acting pope, said he was happy to meet the Copts who withdrew the lawsuits they had filed to stop the election. Activists had filed complaints that the list of Copts allowed to vote in the election was not representative.
Pope Shenouda III died on 17 March 2012 at the age of 88. He was named the Coptic Orthodox Church’s 117th pope in 1971.
The field of five potential popes will be narrowed down to three later this month. According to Coptic Church traditions, and also the presidential decree in 1957, three finalists' names will be put in a draw and a blindfolded child will choose the name of the next pope.
