1.   Under old Ottoman laws that Israel still follows, a new patriarch must be approved by the state.

2.   Under Ottoman laws that Israel still follows, a new patriarch must be approved by the state.

3.   As of now a new patriarch can be elected only if his predecessor dies.

4.   Church officials did not say when a new patriarch would be chosen or who would serve as interim head of the church.

5.   The church is to ask Jordan and the Palestinian Authority for their approval of the new patriarch.

6.   And while the Lancandon have chosen their new patriarch, his name will remain a secret outside their community.