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GHADA BARSOUM — EMAN SHENOUDA THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY Quiet Leadership at the Top A close review of the chronology of the lockdown shows that despite the hierarchical nature of the Coptic Church, many decisions were left to the diocesan level, according to the discretion of the designated bishop or metropolitan. As in many other parts of the world, the week of March 21, 2020 was pivotal. On March 21, the Holy Synod’s Permanent Committee met and called for churches to be closed for two weeks. Given the dioceses’ different natures, with some being urban and others rural, and their varying socio-economic status, a follow-up decision was made on June 27, 2020 to delegate the decision about opening churches to different bishops. As the Pope is responsible for the churches of Cairo and Alexandria, the experiences of the various churches differed significantly. Churches under papal pastoral care re-opened with the exception of Sundays and Fridays — no other services were held. Another example is that of a bishopric where churches were opened on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays with social distancing; Sunday School was resumed. On September 11, 2020, churches in Cairo and Alexandria re-opened, including the weekends. When strict lockdown resumed later in the year, H. H. Pope Tawadros II closed churches in Cairo and Alexandria, which are directly under his pastoral care, on December 6, 2020. However, and similarly to earlier decisions, the decision regarding the level of strictness of the lockdown was left to the bishops in other dioceses. This delegation of the decision, which stands against the tradition of a hierarchical church, represents the first form of a quiet organic approach to leadership that was manifest during this time of profound uncertainty. Spirituality Going Digital A defining characteristic of service during lockdown was the use of digital technology in reaching out to locked down congregants. As shown by Figure-1, 59% of the priests surveyed highlighted the use of technology as an opportunity that was created during the lockdown. In one case study, the priest noted: 21 WhatsApp groups were created for all categories of the church congregants, so we could follow up on them daily. We held a daily competition that included questions from the Bible. A Sunday school activity was held for primary and preparatory school children daily through social media. Additionally, we held an online preaching festival in which the children participated and excelled. They were honored and prizes were distributed to them through the church +18 +
