Egypt’s Coptic Christians name new pope

CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church found its 118th pope Nov. 4 during a televised drama at Cairo’s St. Mark Cathedral.

In the drama the fingers of a blindfolded boy reached into a crystal chalice, wrapped around one of three transparent spheres, and pulled it out. The small, clear globe was opened, revealing the name of Bishop Anba Tawadros, one of three finalists in the church’s search for the successor to Pope Shenouda III, who died in March after a 40-year reign.

When Tawadros takes the throne Nov. 18, he will move from oversight of a bishopric in the Nile delta northwest of Cairo to the head of the Coptic Church, whose estimated 10 million members comprise the largest Christian denomination in the Middle East. Tawadros, 60, was educated in Egypt and Great Britain and was manager of a pharmaceutical company before entering monkhood. 

The rise of Islamic representation in the government, an increase in anti-Christian violence and the ongoing debate over a new Egyptian constitution have intensified the pressure on Christians to secure a place for themselves in the post-revolution Egyptian society.