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how is a new pope chosen?

Unknown
edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church
Hey everybody,

I was just wondering if anyone knew how a new pope is chosen. Is our method different than the Catholic's method?

Thanks and God Bless

Comments

  • CopticPeteCopticPete
    hey esakla, well ya our method is different from catholics. First there is a vote to pick 3 bishops from the holy synod. After these 3 are picked there names are placed on the altar with one blank card and there is a long mass prayed (not sure where u can find the mass), and in the end a young boy picks from the 4 cards, and if the blank one is chosen that means god doesnt want any of those 3, so a new vote is done. However, if the previous pope picks a successor, then i dont know how that works, cuz i know that many popes handpicked theyre successors.
    hope that helps

    -peter
  • Marianne87Marianne87
    No I don't think they can pick their successors, it's something sacred and has to be chosen by God not by anyone else...at least now the pope can't say I want that bishop to be after me...
  • hany58hany58
    Hey lol, I'm not quite sure about the catholic, but what I know about the orthodox that they get three bishops that are exact in everything regarding the spiritual things. and they make what is called a (alter trial) or (elkor3a elhaykaleya) and they make it and the one choosen by the trial is the pope
  • whywhy
    well do you knoiw how if a blank papercomes up...what happens then?? we have no pope for a while...they choose again..they redo the picking??
  • StavroStavro
    There has been many ways of choosing the Pope in the Coptic Orthodox Church during it glorious 2000 years. The past two times the hand of God and the choice of people was combined to choose St. Pope Kyrillos and H.H. Pope Shenouda. It follows one of the traditions in the past. I believe it is the best way and the current best approach for the matter, considering many aspects. It is a democratic system that allows for people to choose their leader, and it brings in God's choice through the temple draw. It worked fine, in fact flwaless, in choosing the past two Popes, but with the increasing number of the Copts outside Egypt and their influence on Church matters, negative most of the time, it remains to be seen whether the system will work or not.

    I do not recall a certain incident in which a Pope choose his follower, unless it was a God endorsed direction through an apparition or a revelation. St. Patriarch Julian , the 11th Patriarch of Alexandria, choose his successor St. Demetrius the Vinedresser in such manner, by telling the clergy and congregation that the man who enters with a bundle of grapes (in winter, non-seasonal) is the next Popes, and Dt. Demetrius was the Vinedresser who entered and was consecrated Pope and his age was one of the most successful ages in which he has stamped out heresies (that of Master Origen most remarkable), evangelized Pagans and took the Church many steps forward in the many aspects.

    When asked about this matter, H.H. Pope Shenouda indicated his refusal to appoint a successor, citing the folowing reasons:

    - It is not his choice, but the choice of God and the choice of the congregation and their right. It shows the Pope's great understanding of ecclesiology and the nature of his leadership.

    - It is not a privilage, but a great burden, to take responsibility for his age and the age of the next Pope to come, a responsibility he did not seek when he was ordained Bishop but was "ordered" to accept by H.H. Pope Kyrillos. The saint, Pope Kyrillos, with his great heavenly vision saw the potential of his former disciple and helped forge his talents and spirituality into a great Pope.
  • mtanious32mtanious32
    The thing about the pope picking his succesor is they don't pick their succesor they just know who their succesor will be.
  • stgeorgebrooklyn23stgeorgebrooklyn23
    hey guys... wanna hear a nice story about how poope kerolos was chosen??? well you knnow when they pick 1 pope out of 3 sheets of names? when they pickd out pope kerolos's they found that all three were changed by his name...thats cuz God wanted him to be pope. May God bless his soul....
  • whywhy
    all threee were changed by his name...do u mean that the papers changed into his name??
  • filobateer
    [tt][/tt]I didn't know that this was the process in choosing a new Pope. I like that way - better than the process in choosing a new priest, at least! :-\
  • stgeorgebrooklyn23stgeorgebrooklyn23
    [quote author=why link=board=4;threadid=4158;start=0#msg59036 date=1155632445]
    all threee were changed by his name...do u mean that the papers changed into his name??

    yea " why " i meant that like there were 3 bishop's names but god wanted pope kyrolos so he changed all 3 to his name so he could be pope.
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