The January 25 Revolution continues to have an effect on life in Egypt and its institutions, including the Coptic Orthodox Church. For the first time in its history, one reads about differences and plots being cooked up to prevent certain bishops from competing for the papal throne. The process for selecting a new Coptic Orthodox Pope has always been a confidential matter, never debated outside the Church or by anyone other than its leaders. But for the first time, the Egyptians, especially the Christians, now seem to be having a say in choosing their new Pope or at least preventing certain people from applying for the top post in the Coptic Orthodox Church. After announcing the candidates for the position, the Church has whittled them down to five. This shortlist excludes powerhouses like Bishop Beshoy, because of his fierce attacks on other denominations and his previous statements to the press that could have sparked sectarian sedition in the country. The list also excludes Bishop Yo'anes, the secretary of the late Pope Shenoda III, who enjoys the support of the State authorities, the bishops of Upper Egypt and the Coptic expatriates. Bishop Bakhomius, temporary head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, revealed the names of the five candidates at a press conference at St. Beshoy Monastery in Wadi Natroun, north of Cairo, a few days ago. The five candidates will compete in papal elections to be held before the end of the year, in which 2,411 members of the Coptic Orthodox Church – men and women, all at least 35 years old – will vote. The three who receive the most votes will take part in an ‘altar lottery', with a blindfolded boy choosing the winning name from a sealed box. Allowing the press to reveal details about the ongoing conflicts and the exclusion of certain names shows that the Orthodox Church's strictness about its domestic affairs being discussed with the public is changing. This new transparency suggests that the Coptic Orthodox Church, traditionally very conservative, is beginning to lose its strong grip on its followers. This is reflected in the fact that the Copts demonstrated a year ago outside the Radio & TV Building in Maspero, rather than Saint Mark's Cathedral in el-Abbasiya. Some Copts have also been calling for changing their divorce and marriage rights in the Civil Status Law. So will the role the Orthodox Church plays in Egypt's political life change too?
