As the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood makes demands for Sharia law, the Coptic Christian community is growing fearful about its future. Already opponents of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi are being crucified on trees and Christians are being denied permits to build new churches. It is in this environment that thousands of Copts met last Sunday to name a Pope charged with protecting the largest Christian community in the Middle East.
At an elaborate ceremony in Cairo’s St Mark’s Cathedral, a blindfolded boy pulled a ballot out of a crystal chalice revealing that Bishop Tawadros, 60, will now lead the flock of approximately 10 million Egyptian Coptic Christians.
