Several of our members pointed out that the bishop candidates should not conduct any campaign. It is a good proposal but I would like to point out a question about that proposal. Do we know all of our clergies those who are capable as the candidates for the post of the Bishops? I do not know whether there is any stage for that to familiarize them to the public. All the clergies those who are qualified with their prayer life and capabilities may not be popular among the people as their public appearance may be less than the others, but few may be popular too.

My expectation about our Bishop is that as they are the spiritual fathers, thay should be selected from those have more spiritual and prayer life and should love the Church. The shepaheard should treat all the folks in equal as our past and present spiritual fathers.

It will be better if the candidates are allowed to introduce themselves to the voters and I do not think the present introduction of candidates is appropriate.

So let the people who know them to pass their testimony about them to others. People who know about the candidates should speak out truely, because no non-eligible candidate should be selected. So let them to run the campaign by introducing them in personally to the voters but restrict to campaign in public with vit notices at the voting area as it may lowered the grade to a campus election. We witnessed in the previous selection process also the big campaigns and influences did not make any change of the selection.

Before the confirmation of the candidature and before the screening of the candidates it will be a good process if the Church announce the names of the candidates and inform all the parishes and ask the clergies and members to submit if they have any difference of opinion or disagreement about the candidates within a time frame and that should also consider before qualifying the candidates as the representatives from the parish may not aware about all those candidates and they are comming and taking dissission individually at the time of the voting.

When a candidate submit the nomination, all the positions (except the post of the Vicar of any parish) that he holds should be freez till the end of election and no Church facility should be available to campaign publically or secratly to anyone using their present position. All the candidates should be treated equally and no one should get any special treatment from the sideof the Church.

Once an election is conducted and the necessary numbers of candidates are elected it shows that the Holy Spirit is selected the qualified candidates. Those who are not selected for the post are to be in the service as they are selected to continue as the clergy of the Church. I do not think that the idea of contesting them for the same post again is a suitable idea as it makes the feeling in the faithful members that this is a process like the political party election as they will contest even if they are rejected by the public. Once a candidate is appeared in public to the post of the Bishop and if they are not elected then they should understand that they are not selected to become the Bishop but the Holy Spirit is selected them to continue as a clergy of the church and serve the church at that capacity. It is a service and not a job. Once a person is submitted himself for the will of God and if the will of God is different than our duty is to stand for the will of God and not to contest to overcome that.

It is being noticed that a medical check up is conducting for the candidates and the pubic are not aware about what type of check up are conducting, is it a complete health check up or a mental check up as I believe it is a new process and I don’t think it was done in olden days.

When an individual took a vow to serve the Church as a clergy then the Holy Spirit is leading that person to continue his service. The person who is surrendered himself to the will of God has no choice for the title. So one time if a clergy offer his service to serve as the Higher priest of the service and the Holy Spirit did not let it then there is no meaning to contest again for the same. It may make the people to feel bad.

Majority of our former and present Bishops never know that they will be elevated as a Bishop, but the Holy Spirit brought them up and that is the strength of the prayer life. That is the tradition of my Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. Our prayer is perfect and we do not need to make any instant sprit making dramatic prayers like that the Protestants does. All our present beloved Bishops are selected by the power of the Holy Spirit and that is why they are all selected by the Malankara Association and the Holy Spirit will lead our Church and I firmly believe in that. Kindly pray for our Church to overcome the hard times that we are facing. Anyone who acts against the Church will never have long standings.

The history shows the punishment for those who disturbed the Holy services, those who tried to make the Church as a commercial business place and those who tried to overcome the will of the Holy Spirit. Those names will never stay.
Our duty is to pray to the Holy Spirit to bless our Church to get elected new spiritual leaders, to lead our Church and May God shower His abundance of mercy to us and to all our spiritual leaders.

Charly V. Padanilam, Houston, TX