New Coptic Orthodox Pope Enthroned

Pope Theodore II (al-Anba Bishoy) has been enthroned at St. Mark's Cathedral in the Cairene district of Abbasiya as patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and 118th successor to St. Mark. The enthronement prayer was read by Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Zacchaeus (Iwas) of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Axios!

New Coptic Orthodox Pope Speaks Against Violence, Attacks

Pope Theodore II (al-Anba Bishoy) of Alexandria has stated that he is not intimidated by the rise of Islamism in Egypt since the toppling of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, saying that, "[For] our part, we work with love and respect, we reject violence and...the idea of attacks on property, people, lives and homes." The new Coptic Orthodox patriarch also spoke out against clergy and monks who have participated in political demonstrations. More here.

New Coptic Orthodox Pope Elected

Following the nomination of three candidates for the throne of St. Mark recently in Cairo auxiliary Bishop Tawadros (al-Anba Bishoy), who until now has served in the Diocese of Beheira under Metropolitan Pachomius of Beheira, has been revealed as the 118th successor to St. Mark as Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He is worthy! Axios! More here.

On a personal note, God certainly has a sense of humor in elevating two Theodores, both the second of that name, as popes of the Churches of Alexandria :-).

New Coptic Orthodox Pope to be Chosen in November

The Coptic Orthodox Church has changed the date for its upcoming papal elections from the end of November to 29 October, with the lot between the final nominees to be drawn on 4 November. The list of candidates for the papacy was recently reduced to five, with all of the diocesan hierarchs previously included being dropped from the list for canonical reasons. More here.

Coptic Orthodox Church Releases List of Papal Candidates

The Coptic Orthodox Church has released the names of the seventeen candidates in the Church's upcoming papal elections. Of the candidates seven are ruling or auxiliary bishops, which contradicts the tradition of the Coptic Orthodox Church forbidding the transfer of hierarchs from one diocese to another, and ten are monks. Of the monks named three are from the former monastery of Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani), the Syrian Monastery of the Mother of God in Wadi Natroun. The full list can be found here.

Coptic Orthodox Church Prepares to Nominate New Pope

The Coptic Orthodox Church has released the names of clerical and lay participants in a special ecclesiastical assembly to nominate a successor to the recently reposed Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani) of Alexandria. The release of the list is the first step towards the convening of the assembly, which will nominate three candidates for inclusion in the drawing of lots to chose the next Coptic Orthodox patriarch.

The Church also recently announced that it will not have representatives at the annual iftaar (a dinner breaking the Ramadan fast) this year due to its continued mourning of Pope Shenouda's falling asleep. More here.

Armenian Orthodox Catholicos Visits France

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has undertaken a pastoral visit to the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Marseille in southern France. While in France Catholicos Karekin celebrated the 80th anniversary of Holy Translators' Church in Marseille and met with the hierarchs, clergy, and representatives of the Armenian Orthodox Church in France as well as with Bishop Anba Athanasius of the Coptic Orthodox Church in France. More here.

Coptic Orthodox Representatives Consider Withdrawal from Egyptian Constituent Assembly

The Coptic Orthodox Church is considering withdrawing its representatives from the Egyptian Constituent Assembly, charged with revising the Egyptian constitution, due to efforts on the part of Islamist members of the Constituent Assembly to strengthen the place of Islamic law in the document. More here. H/t to Ad Orientem.

Coptic Orthodox Delegation Meets with Morsi

Metropolitan Pachomius of Beheira, locum tenens of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, visited Egyptian President-elect Mohamed Morsi today to congratulate him on his electoral victory. Morsi assured Anba Pachomius and those with him that he would remain in close contact with the Coptic Orthodox Church and that he would not allow any in Egypt to "condescend" to its native Copts. More here.

Coptic Orthodox Appoint Papal Locum Tenens

Following the repose of Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani) of blessed memory this past Saturday the Coptic Orthodox Church has appointed Metropolitan Pachomius of Beheira, the eldest member of the hierarchy, as locum tenens of the patriarchal throne until a new pope can be elected. The election is not likely to take place until after the election of a new Egyptian president this July. More here.

In Memoriam: Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria

Our father Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani) of Alexandria has fallen asleep in the Lord at the age of eighty-eight. Born the eighth child of a devout Upper Egyptian family in 1923, the future successor of St. Mark became involved as a youth in the life of the Church, and particularly in the Sunday School movement. He later studied history and theology in Cairo before retreating to the desert of Scetis in 1954 to join the 'Syrian Monastery' of the Mother of God, where he was tonsured with the name Anthony.

In 1962 Pope Cyril VI the Wonderworker consecrated Fr. Anthony to the episcopacy with the name of Shenouda and appointed him dean of the Coptic Orthodox theological seminary in Cairo. Under Bishop Shenouda's guidance the size of the Seminary's student body tripled, and when Pope Cyril VI reposed in 1971 Bishop Shenouda was elected to succeed him as head of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

During Pope Shenouda's forty-one year papacy the Coptic Orthodox Church grew both in Africa and in the Egyptian Diaspora, with numerous new churches and dioceses being established throughout the world. Like his predecessor St. Athanasius, Pope Shenouda was exiled to the desert for his protests against policies of the state in Egypt and throughout his life advocated for the rights of his flock in the country.

After months of illness due to old age Pope Shenouda reposed peacefully in Cairo this past Saturday at the age of eighty-eight. In accordance with his last wishes he is to be buried in the Monastery of St. Paisius (or Bishoy) in Wadi al-Natrun. More on Pope Shenouda's life, as well as some of his sermons, may be found here. May his memory be eternal!

Coptic Orthodox Hierarchs Meet with Egyptian Chief of Staff

A delegation of the Coptic Orthodox Church has met with the chief of staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Sami Anan, to discuss last month's 'Bloody Sunday' killing of 27 Copts and ongoing efforts to build a civil, democratic Egyptian state. More here.

Pope Shenouda Bans Political Campaigning in Churches

Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani) of Alexandria has banned candidates for Parliament from campaigning in Egypt's Coptic Orthodox churches, calling on the country's Copts who are running for Parliament not to use religious slogans in their campaigns or otherwise mix religion and politics. More here.

Pope Shenouda, Supreme Military Council Meet

Pope Shenouda III (a-Suriani) of Alexandria has met with the members of the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces, which currently rules the country, to discuss the repurcussions of the 9 October incident in Cairo that resulted in the deaths of 27 Copts. Prior to Monday's meeting Pope Shenouda and a representative of the Supreme Council reportedly discussed the incident, Copts' demands for a new constitution, and the transitional government's efforts to promote national unity in the wake of the deaths. More here.

Pope Shenouda to Visit Martyrs' Families

Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani) of Alexandria will be visiting the families of the victims of Egypt's 'Blood Sunday,' the 9 October clashes that resulted in the deaths of 27 Copts. The Coptic Orthodox Church intends to provide aid to those of the families in need of economic assistance because of their connection to the Bloody Sunday martyrs. More here.

Apparitions of the Mother of God Reported in Cairo, Alexandria

Coptic Orthodox Christians from Alexandria and Cairo are reportedly claiming to have witnessed multiple appearances of the Mother of God last night as Egypt continues to mourn clashes in Cairo that resulted in the death of twenty-eight Copts. A film of one of the apparitions reported in Heliopolis, a Cairo suburb, can be found here. There is no word as to whether anyone in the hierarchy of the Coptic Orthodox Church has verified the apparitions.

Egyptian Government Amends Place of Worship Laws

The Egyptian government has approved controversial amendments to new laws on the construction of places of worship delegating authority to grant construction permits to local municipal authorities and mandating minimum size requirements for new places of worship. More here.

Fast Called for Victims of Cairo Clashes

Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani) of Alexandria has called a fast tomorrow (Tuesday) through Thursday/Friday to mourn the victims of the recent clashes in Cairo and for the peace of Egypt's Copts and the nation as a whole. Please join in the fast as you're able - we are witnessing a pivotal time in Egyptian history and next month's elections could change the lives of Egypt's Orthodox Christians greatly, for better or for worse.

Church, Homes Burned in Upper Egypt

Clashes between Muslims and Copts have taken place in the Upper Egyptian city of Edfu after Muslims attacked a parish there that was undertaking the expansion of its church. After setting fire to the church the attackers burned other Copt-owned houses and shops in the area. More here.

Coptic Orthodox Pope Returns to Cairo

Pope Sehnouda III (al-Suriani) of the Coptic Orthodox Church has returned to Cairo from his latest three-week visit to the United States for medical care. More here.