On Nov. 4, the Coptic Christian Church in Egypt announced the selection of a new pope following the death of Pope Shenouda III on March 17. To Catholics, the use of the term "pope" by someone other than ourselves is something of a shock. In fact, the Coptic use of this term (meaning "father") predates Rome's application of the term to its bishop.
The election of Pope Theodoros II was announced on what happened to be his 60th birthday. He will take office today. He earned a degree in pharmacy in 1975 and managed a pharmaceutical factory before entering a monastery and being ordained a priest in 1989.
The Coptic Church is one of the "Oriental Orthodox" churches, which are distinct from the "Eastern" Orthodox churches, with whom our church has been in a state of schism since 1054.
The Oriental Orthodox entered a separate identity in 451, following the events of the Council of Chalcedon. This council defined formally the identity of Jesus Christ as one divine person with divine and human natures. It is still a matter of dispute whether the Coptic and other Oriental Orthodox Churches were truly "off the mark" in their adherence to this definition.
There are 12 to 18 million Coptic Christians, most of them in Egypt, where they form a significant minority in this largely Muslim nation.
With the recent change of government in Egypt, the new pope and his people face the challenge of securing civil and religious rights in a land poised for change.
On Nov. 9, the new Archbishop of Canterbury — the head of the Church of England and the focus of unity for the worldwide Anglican Communion — was announced. Justin Welby, born in 1956, had a career in the petroleum industry before entering theology courses in the 1980s. He has been Bishop of Durham since 2011. Succeeding Rowan Williams, he will be enthroned on March 21, 2013.
The See of Canterbury, although Roman Catholic for nearly a thousand years, in the 16th century became part of King Henry VIII's plan to make himself the head of the church in England. It is well known that there was much strife between Catholics and Anglicans for many centuries. As is the case with the Orthodox churches, with Anglicans the Catholic Church has much in common theologically, although obviously we are at odds on matters of the governance of the Christian people.
The Church of England has about 26 million members. The Anglican Communion worldwide totals about 78 million. In the United States, the Episcopal Church is the body within the Anglican Communion.
Bishop Welby has focused his recent scholarly work on the question of whether corporations can act ethically or unethically. On the way to finding an answer, he has affirmed that corporate structures have an effect upon the building-up of justice in society.
Current disputes within the Anglican Communion have to do with the admission of women as bishops and priests, and attitudes toward same-sex relationships.
When we survey the "big small world" of Christianity, we find that we must develop an appreciation for the histories of various groups of Christians. As we pray for fruitful leadership on the part of these new Christian leaders, we commit ourselves to a deeper awareness of Christian history, and we ask God to make us instruments of peace across the fractures in Christ's body.