Pope congratulates new head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church

November 05, 2012 - Pope Benedict XVI on Monday congratulated Bishop Anba Tawadros as the new Pope of Egypt's ancient Coptic Orthodox Church. The 60-year old bishop was chosen in an elaborate Mass on Sunday where a blindfolded boy drew the name of the next patriarch from a crystal chalice. Bishop Tawadros will be officially installed on Nov. 18 as Pope Tawadros II. Pope Benedict extended his “good wishes and prayerful solidarity” to the entire Coptic Orthodox Christians and implored God’s blessings upon their new head. He expressed confidence that like his predecessor, Pope Shenouda III, Bishop Tawadros too will be a genuine spiritual father for his people and an effective partner with all his fellow-citizens in building the new Egypt in peace and harmony, serving the common good and the good of the entire Middle East. “In these challenging times it is important for all Christians to bear witness to the love and fellowship that binds them together, mindful of the prayer offered by our Lord at the Last Supper: that all may be one, so that the world may believe,” Pope Benedict wrote. The Holy Father recalled the ecumenical progress between the two Churches under Pope Shenouda and prayed their continuing friendship and dialogue will bear fruit in ever closer solidarity and lasting reconciliation.
Copts, estimated at about 10 percent of the Egypt’s 83 million people, have long complained of discrimination by the Muslim majority state. Under both the old regime and the new Islamist leadership, violent clashes with Muslims have occasionally broken out, often sparked by church construction, land disputes or Muslim-Christian love affairs. The newfound political power of Islamists in Egypt, who control the presidency and won parliamentary elections, has left many Christians feeling deeply uncomfortable. Copts have faced sporadic, violent attacks by Muslim extremists. That has been compounded by deterioration in security and law enforcement since the uprising. In some cases, Coptic families or entire communities have had to flee their towns as a quick-fix solution to avoid more violence.