News and Comments (1)

We ask repose and mercy for the souls of the venerable hierarchs: Anba Benjamin, Anba Agapius, and Anba Lucas. As the Church bids them farewell in pain, we stand before three dioceses that have been orphaned and widowed, in which there are hundreds of thousands for whom Christ died. Out of concern for the salvation of those precious souls, to ensure their sound pastoral care, and so that the departed hierarchs may be reassured about their children, we cry out from the depth of our faith:

A bylaw must be established for the election of the bishop

There exists a bylaw for the election of the Patriarch… and although it needs major amendment, the mere principle—the existence of a bylaw for his election—is beneficial, necessary, and reassuring. But the bishop—“his partner in the apostolic ministry”—there is no bylaw for his election!… Why?

If a person from another denomination, or one of our own disciples, were to ask me, “What is the system by which the Coptic Church proceeds in choosing the bishop?”, I would stand perplexed, leaning on a bundle of exclamation marks, facing a large question mark for which I know no answer!!!

Truly, what is the system we follow in choosing the bishop?!?

There is no specific system, and there is no single method. Rather, whenever a diocese becomes vacant, people place their hands on their hearts. The vacant diocese turns into a problem, into a crisis, and into a conflict… The existence of a bylaw for the election of the bishop is necessary and vital; it puts everyone at ease and allows the matter to pass in peace and calm, without friction and without anyone becoming angry…

A bylaw must be established for the election of the bishop

The office of the bishop is not a trivial office. He is one of the successors of the apostles. He is one of those for whom you entreat the Lord in the Divine Liturgy, saying, “Grant them to Your holy Church to shepherd Your flock in peace.” An entire diocese has its destiny bound to his personality. Either he is a blessing to it and its salvation, or he causes its loss. He is the heart of the diocese. The canons of the Church focus everything on him and place upon him all responsibility. Thus the Didascalia says:
“Let the bishop care for everyone, in order to save him.”

Undoubtedly, everyone in the vacant diocese desires to enjoy such a bishop who cares for everyone… Therefore, we say it once again:

A bylaw must be established for the election of the bishop

For we do not ordain a bishop for a diocese every day. It is very possible that this bishop will be the one who lives through your entire generation. Throughout your life on earth you remain subject to his leadership and spiritual care. You therefore have the right to be reassured…

The people have the right to choose their shepherd

With the help of the Lord, we will present a draft of that bylaw. But until the bylaw takes its legal status, we will point out principal points stipulated by canon law.

Canon law is binding on everyone. No one may bypass it or transgress it without falling under the penalty of the law. Any bylaw that is established—if it does not agree with the law of the Church—is considered void.

However, the absence of a bylaw at present does not absolve us of responsibility. There are systems established by the Apostles of Christ and the early Fathers of the Church, which possess their sanctity and respect: if we err against them, we err against ourselves, and we are not absolved by the Apostles and Fathers who established those canons, and from whose mouths we receive absolution in the “Absolution of the Servants” in the Divine Liturgy.

Notes until the bylaw is established:

1. The first note we state is that the bishop must be ordained by the choice of the entire people.
   The people have the right to choose their shepherd
   This point we will present in detail, God willing, in the next issue.

2. There must be deliberation; there is no need for haste. The Scripture says, “Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins” (1 Tim 5:22). Let us not say, “There is no one; let us accept so-and-so, for he is, relatively, the best available.” No—the good are present, if our hearts are purified and if we place the interest of the Church and the salvation of thousands of souls at a higher level than being influenced by personal relationships and policies of drawing near and keeping away… Even if a suitable candidate does not exist, we must be patient—no matter how long the patience—until we find him.

   The throne will not fly away if we do not place someone upon it. We can wait until we find the person in whom two factors are present: his worthiness and the people’s acceptance of him.

   It is better for the throne to remain vacant than for an unworthy person to sit upon it.

   The Patriarchal throne itself was sometimes vacant for three or four or five years. It was vacant for more than nineteen years after Pope John VI (74). There is therefore no need for haste.

3. The bishop must possess qualities that qualify him for this exalted rank and help him carry out its responsibilities: he must be holy, fit for teaching, fit for shepherding, and of a leadership personality that is not toyed with by an entourage nor lends his ears to everything poured into them.

4. The aim of the ordination must be the salvation of the souls of the people over whom the bishop is appointed to shepherd. The ordination must not be for the sake of a person, or a monastery, or a policy, but for the sake of the diocese for whose care we will give a fearful account before God, on a day when positions and titles do not intercede. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).

5. An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine – First year – First issue, January 1965.

For better translation support, please contact the center.