CAIRO (AP) â?? Egypt’s ancient Coptic Christian church is preparing to pick a new leader in an elaborate ceremony in which a blindfolded altar boy will draw from a crystal chalice holding the names of three senior clerics.

Many Christians, estimated to make up 10 percent of Egypt’s 83 million people, fear for their future amid the rising tide of Islamism in the wake of the 2011 ouster of Hosni Mubarak. Earlier this year, longtime patriarch Pope Shenouda III died at age of 88 after 40 years leading the Coptic church.

On Sunday, acting Pope Pachomios laid three names, already selected in a limited vote in church last week, in plastic balls inside the chalice before starting Mass. The drawing by the blindfolded boy is believed to reflect God’s will in the choice.

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