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Bishop Tawadros is Egypt's new Coptic pope
 [Dawn] Bishop Tawadros was chosen as new pope of Egypts Coptic Christians Sunday when a blindfolded altar boy picked his name from a chalice in a ceremony invoking divine guidance for the beleaguered minority.Acting head of the church Bishop Pachomius took the ballot from the boys hand and, showing it to the throng inside St Marks Cathedral, announced: Bishop Tawadros. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause as church bells tolled in celebration across the country. The new Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa in the Holy See of St Mark the Apostle succeeds pope Shenuda III, who died in March leaving behind a community anxious about its future under an Islamist-led government. Tawadros, 60, a bishop in the Nile Delta province of Beheira, was among three candidates, the other two being Bishop Rafael, 54, a medical doctor and current assistant bishop for central Cairo, and Father Rafael Ava Mina, 70. On November 18, Tawadros will assume his new position as spiritual head of the largest Christian minority in the Middle East, becoming the 118th pope in a line dating back to the origins of Christianity and to Saint Mark, the apostle and author of one of the four Gospels, who brought the new faith to Egypt. The pope is a servant, Tawadros told Egyptian state television after his appointment, adding that he bore the responsibility of love and peace. Posted by: Fred 2012-11-05 |
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