Yesterday, Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, opened the second annual session of the Holy Synod, which was held at the Monastery of  Anbā Bishoy in Wādī al-Natrūn under the title “Towards a Better Future for the Church.” The session was dedicated to the discussion of the regulation list for the selection of the coming pope, which will replace the widely criticized one from 1957. Following this session, the Holy Synod will hold a special session to adopt the new list next Friday.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Council of Churches will celebrate its one year anniversary at the CopticCulturalCenter in the St. Mark’s Cathedral in al-‘Abbāsiyah, Cairo. Attendees shall include representatives of the Coptic Orthodox, Evangelical and CatholicChurches, in addition to representatives of the Episcopal  Church. The Coptic Orthodox Church ensured once more that the Egyptian Council of Churches has no political interests and only aims to serve its members and the nation (Mustafá Rahūmah, al-Watan, Feb. 18, p. 2). Read original text in Arabic.