Egypt’s Copts are to vote for a new Pope on Monday after Pope Shenuda III died last March.

Egypt’s Copts are to vote for a new Pope on Monday after Pope Shenuda III died last March.

The death of Shenuda, who headed the church for four decades, set in motion the process to elect a new patriarch to lead the community through the post-revolution era in Egypt, which is marked by increased sectarian tension.

Five candidates -- two bishops and three monks-- are vying to become the 118th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa on the Holy See of St. Mark the Apostle.

A council made up of senior clergy, current and former Coptic public officials, MPs, local councillors and journalists will cast ballots for a new spiritual leader on Monday.

The names of the top three candidates will then be written on separate pieces of paper and placed in a box on the altar of St. Mark's Cathedral in Cairo according to church bylaws for the selection of their leader.

On November 4, a child from the congregation will be blindfolded and asked to choose one of the three pieces of paper. The chosen name will become the new Coptic Pope who will be enthroned in a ceremony on November 18.

The five candidates are Bishop Rafael, 54, a medical doctor and the current Assistant Bishop for Central Cairo; Bishop Tawadros of Nile Delta province of Beheira, 60; Father Rafael Ava Mina, the oldest of the five candidates at 70; Father Seraphim al-Souriani, 53 and Father Pachomious al-Souriani, 49.