1. Coptic Christians get new Pope
Pope Tawadros II was named the 118th leader of the Coptic Church in a ceremony in Egypt’s
capital Cairo today.
In a ritual steeped in tradition and filled with prayer, chants and incense at Abassiya Cathedral,
the names of three candidates chosen at an earlier vote were placed in a wax-sealed bowl
before a blindfolded boy picked out one name.
Copts believe this long-established process ensures worldly influences don’t determine the
successor to Pope Shenouda III, who led the Church for four decades until his death last March.
Pope Tawadros II is the 118th Coptic pontiff.
Formerly a bishop in the Nile Delta, he had trained as a pharmacist before joining the
priesthood.
The Pope will likely come under pressure to improve relations with Egypt’s majority Muslim
population.
Many Christians, who make up about a tenth of Egypt’s population of 83 million, are worried
about political gains made by Islamists since former President Mubarak was ousted last year.
Since then there have been several attacks on churches, reigniting longstanding complaints that
Christians are sidelined both in the workplace and in law.
Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, who emerged from the Muslim…
timesofmalta.com
http://www.allplacedout.com/coptic-christians-get-new-pope/
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