The 'Pope of The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria' or
Pope of
Alexandria for short, is the head of The
Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria in
Egypt, which has about 16 million members worldwide, including about 12 million Orthodox Christians in Egypt and another 4 million expatriates in the Diaspora. The title is currently held by
Pope Shenouda III, 117th and incumbent Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Apostolic
Throne of St Mark.
He is the successor of the Apostle
Mark the Evangelist in the office of Bishop of Alexandria, who founded the Church in the
1st century, and therefore marked the beginning of
Christianity in Africa. The
Church of Alexandria is one of the five ancient
patriarchates of the early
Church, called the ''
Pentarchy''.
HH
Pope Shenouda III, 117th and incumbent Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Apostolic Throne of St Mark
The official title for the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria is ''Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy See of St. Mark''.
The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria is considered as the highest authority in the Church of Alexandria and it formulates the rules and regulations regarding matters of church's organisation, faith, service's order and it is chaired by the Pope of Alexandria and the members are the Church's Metropolitans, Bishops, Chorbishops and the Patriarchal Vicar for Alexandria.
According to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria traditions, the Pope, being the Bishop of Alexandria and being the Senior and Elder Bishop and the
Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province and
Primate of All Egypt, is the head of the Holy Synod as a first among equals.
==
Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria==
The current
Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria is in both Alexandria and
Cairo, in the compound holding the Patriarchal palace,
Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (known as St. Mark's Cathedral) and other Patriarchal Institutions in both Alexandria and Cairo. There is also a major Patriarchal compound within the outer walls of the
Monastery of Saint Pishoy in the
Scetes of the
Nitrian Desert of Egypt (
Wadi El Natrun), which is used when the Pope is in a spiritual retreat or when hosting major ecclesiastical conventions within the
Oriental Orthodox Church communion or with
Eastern Orthodox Church or the
Roman Catholic Church and its
Uniate Churches.
Official posts
★
Bishop of Alexandria
★ Chairman of
The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church
★ Chairman of the
General Congregation Council
★ The Dean of the
Great Catechetical School of Theology of Alexandria.
Official title of the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa
The leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, is known as ''Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa on the
Holy See of St. Mark the Apostle''. The Successor of St.
Mark the Evangelist, Holy Apostle and Martyr, on the Holy Apostolic Throne of the Great City of Alexandria.
The title 'Pope' has been first adopted by Pope
Heraclas as the first Alexandrian Bishop to be known by this title. Papa has been the specific designation for the Archbishop of Alexandria, Patriarch of Egypt, and the See of Saint Mark, whose ecclessiastic title is, Papa Abba, the Abba stands for the devotion of all monastics, from Pentapolis in the West to Constantinople in the East, to his guidance. Abba is the most powerful designation, that for all Monks in the East to volanterily follow his spiritual authority, it should be assumed he was a bearer of Christ.
Historically, this office has held the title of Papa, Father in Coptic, since Papa
Heracleus, 13th Alexandrine Patriarch (232-249 AD) was first to associate with the title three centuries before it was assumed by
John I, the Roman Bishop (523- 526), who ratified the Alexandrian computation of the date of Easter. Bestowing the title on Rome's Pontiff did not strip it from Alexandria's, and the Roman Catholic Church recognizes this ecclesiastical fact.
[1]
His full title is Pope and Lord Archbishop of the Great City of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Orthodox and Apostolic Throne of Saint Mark the Evangelist and Holy Apostle that is, in Egypt,
Pentapolis,
Libya,
Nubia,
Sudan,
Ethiopia,
Eritrea and all
Africa.
Pope of Alexandria, being the Diocesan Bishop of the Great and Ancient Metropolis of Alexandria, that is in Alexandria and the metropolitan province of Greater Cairo comprising Central Cairo &
Heliopolis, El Mataria,
Ain Shams & Ezbet El Nakhl,
Old Cairo (
Babylon), East of the Railroad District in Cairo, the
Maadi District and Dar El Salam (Irininoupolis) in Cairo.
Elder Metropolitan Archbishop of the Egyptian Province.
Primate of Egypt, Pentapolis, Libya, Nubia and Sudan.
Patriarch of All Africa.
The Pillar and Defender of the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church and of the Orthodox Faith.
The Dean of the
Great Catechetical School of Theology of Alexandria.
The Ecumenical (Universal) Judge (Arbitrator) of the Holy Apostolic and Catholic (Universal) Church.
The Thirteenth among the Holy
Apostles.
Father of Fathers.
Shepherd of Shepherds.
Hierarch of all Hierarchs.
The episcopal title of the Bishop of Alexandria
“Pope and Lord Archbishop of the Great City of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa on the Holy Apostolic
Throne of Saint Mark the Evangelist and Holy Apostle.”
The appellation of ''“Pope”'' has been attributed to the Bishop of Alexandria since the Episcopate of
Heraclas, the thirteenth Bishop of Alexandria. All the clergy of Alexandria and
Lower Egypt honored him with the appellation ''“Papas,”'' which means “Our Father,” as the Senior and Elder Bishop among all bishops, within the Egyptian Province, who are under his jurisdiction.
Since Alexandria was the Capital of the Province, the preaching center and the place of martyrdom of
Saint Mark the Evangelist and Holy Apostle, the title: “Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa on the Holy Throne of Saint Mark the Evangelist and Holy Apostle," also known as “Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa” in short, was that of the Bishop of Alexandria.
The appellation of ''“Pope”'' became recognized as a title, but this did not mean that it represented a title different or higher than the title of ''“Patriarch,” ''It is to be noted, however, that only the Patriarch of Alexandria has the double title of Pope and Patriarch among the
Oriental Orthodox and the
Eastern Orthodox Thrones.
In the Roman Catholic view-point, this title does not have the same meaning as that of the
Bishop of Rome, who was the only Primate in the West to be given the title of ''“Pope”'' in the beginning of the fifth century. The title of ''“
Pope of Rome”'' is considered by the
Roman Catholic Church, as the ''“Supreme Pontiff,"'' holding the office of the Roman See (being one of the successors of
Saint Peter). 'However, neither the Oriental nor the Eastern Orthodox recognize any of these claims made by the Roman Patriarch.'
From the Roman Catholic Church’s point of view, the Pope of Rome is elevated in dignity and jurisdiction above the other four Popes and Patriarchs of the Major Apostolic Thrones (
Alexandria,
Constantinople,
Antioch and
Jerusalem) or in other words, he is considered as their superior from the
Catholic point of view. This is obviously ''not supported by the Coptic Orthodox Pope'', nor any other Orthodox Christians.
The title ''“
Patriarch”'' means the Head or the Leader of a Tribe or a Community. Ecclesiastically it means the Head of the Fathers (Bishops) and their congregation of faithful. This title is historically known as “Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa on the Holy Apostolic
Throne of Saint Mark the Evangelist,” that is “of Alexandria and of all Africa.” The title of “Patriarch” was first used around the time of the Third Ecumenical
Council of Ephesus, convened in 431 AD, and ratified at
Chalcedon in 451 AD.
The Bishop of Alexandria also has the title of ''“
Archbishop.” '' This is a natural jurisdictional title for the Ecclesiastical Dignity of the
Bishop of Alexandria. Ruling as a ''“
Metropolitan”'', the bishop of the Metropolis (i.e. Alexandria), had jurisdiction over the Roman Provinces of Egypt (
Lower Egypt I and II,
Arcadia Ægypti,
Upper Egypt I and II (aka
Thebais Prima and Thebais Secunda), Pentapolis, Libya and Nubia, which were at that time, the extent of the “Egyptian Provinces” within the
Roman Empire. As set by the Ecumenical
First Council of Nicaea 325 AD, the jurisdiction of the Archiepiscopate of Alexandria covered the above-mentioned Provinces.
But since the demise of the Latin (Roman)
North African Archiepiscopate of
Carthage (which covered all of North and
West Africa, apart from Egypt, Pentapolis & Libya) in the 8th century, Alexandria became the sole Apostolic Throne in the entire continent of
Africa (or what was known of it at that time). It is to be noted that actually, the historical evangelization of the Apostolic Throne of Alexandria in Africa, apart from Egypt, Pentapolis, Libya, Nubia and the Sudan, does extend to:
'
Ethiopia:'
· It constituted a Major Archdiocese of the
Church of Alexandria, which was always governed by an
Egyptian Patriarchal
Vicar in the rank of
Archbishop, and named Aboune Salama by the
Ethiopian Church. By 1929, the Alexandrine Throne allowed the Ethiopian Clergy to participate in the governing of their own Church, and the first native Ethiopian Archbishop was enthroned in 1930 (thus becoming an Autonomous Church).
· In 1959, an agreement was reached between the Ethiopian Holy Synod and the Alexandrine Throne to have their own Patriarch-
Catholicos in a transitional period. The Ethiopian Archbishop ordained as Primate of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church back in
1950, was elevated by the
Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria
Joseph II in Cairo and enthroned in
Addis Ababa by the members of the Ethiopian Holy Synod and an Alexandrine delegation. The first Prelate, His Beatitude Aboune Basilius I (1959-1971), Patriarch-Catholicos of
Addis Ababa and all
Ethiopia, was ordained and enthroned in
1959, by the saintly remembered and the thrice blessed the late
Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria.
· The Patriarchate of Addis Ababa and of all Ethiopia is now headed by its 5th Patriarch, His Beatitude Aboune Paulos I (1992- ). This is after the Patriarchates of H.B. the late Aboune Theophilus I (1971-1979) (Deposed in a non-canonical way in 1976, sent to prison and murdered in prison in 1979), H.B. the late Aboune Thecla Hemanote I (1976-1988) (who was elected in a non canonical manner by pressure of the then Communist Government to replace his predecessor.) & H.B. Abouna Mercurios I (1988-1991), (who resigned under pressure, due to the accusation of collaborating with the (Dereg) Menghistu Communist Regime, and who is now living in self exile in Kenya).
· His Beatitude Aboune Paulos I has requested from the Alexandrine Throne complete independence to his Patriarchate. The Patriarchate of Addis Ababa and all Ethiopia was granted its independence in
1994, by H.H.
Shenouda III Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, thus making the Patriarchate of Addis Ababa and all Ethiopia hierarchically and jurisdictionally independent “
Autocephalous Patriarchate.”
'
Eritrea:'
· Whose own Prelate, H.B. the late Aboune Philipos I (1998-2002), Patriarch of
Asmara and of all
Eritrea, was ordained and enthroned in
May 1998, by H.H. Pope Shenouda III Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria. This made the new Patriarchate of Asmara and of all Eritrea a hierarchically and jurisdictionally independent “
Autocephalous Patriarchate.” The Current Prelate, H.B. Aboune Antonius I (2004- ), is the third Patriarch of Asmara and all Eritrea, who succeeded H.B. the late Yacob I (2003-2004) the second Patriarch of Asmara and all Eritrea. However, he was deposed non-canonically in January 2006, and replaced by H.B. Aboune Discoros I. This action is however not approved by the Alexandrine Throne and is still under debate.
Both the Patriarchate of Addis Ababa & all Ethiopia and the Patriarchate of Asmara & all Eritrea do acknowledge the supremacy of honor & dignity of the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria on the basis that both Patriarchates were established by the Throne of Alexandria and that they have their roots in the Apostolic
Church of Alexandria, and acknowledge that
Saint Mark the Apostle is the founder of their Churches through the heritage and Apostolic evangelization of the Fathers of Alexandria.
In other words, the Patriarchate of Addis Ababa & all Ethiopia and the Patriarchate of Asmara & all Eritrea are daughter Churches of the Holy Apostolic
Patriarchate of Alexandria.
In addition to the above, the countries of
Uganda,
Kenya,
Tanzania,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe,
the Congo,
Cameroon,
Nigeria,
Ghana,
Botswana,
Malawi,
Angola,
Namibia and
South Africa are under the jurisdiction and the evangelization of the Throne of Alexandria. It is still expanding in the vast continent of Africa.
The honorary titles of the Patriarch of Alexandria
'· The Dean of the Great Catechetical School of Theology of Alexandria:'
This is a customary title, which many patriarchs of Alexandria have held since the episcopacy of St.
Justus (the 6th Bishop of Alexandria), and which was recently revived by H.H. Shenouda III.
'· The Ecumenical Judge of the Holy Apostolic and Orthodox Church of God:'
This was a title given to St.
Alexander I (the 19th Archbishop of Alexandria), in honor of the canonical responsibilities bestowed upon the Primates of Alexandria thereafter, to determine the date of the Pascha, and to convey ecclesiastical letters of notification to all Hierarchies of the Universal Church, along with the Paschal encyclical. This was officially agreed upon and ratified at the Ecumenical
First Council of Nicaea(325 AD).
'· The Thirteenth among the Holy Apostles:'
This title was given to St. Athanasius I (the 20th Archbishop of Alexandria), in honor of his apostolic defiance against heresies, especially the Arian heresy. He endured 5 exiles before his final victory over them, which eventually safeguarded the Orthodoxy of the Universal Church. This is why he is entitled as the "The Apostolic," meaning that he reached the level of the Holy Apostles, in his struggle to preserve and to safeguard the true Christian Orthodox Faith. He is also known as equal to the Apostles.
'· The Pillar and Defender of the Holy Catholic Church and of the Orthodox Doctrine:'
This title was given to St.
Cyril I, the Great (the 24th Archbishop of Alexandria) in memory of his heroic defense against the Nestorian Heresy and his defense of the Title of “
Theotokos," attributed to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, to establish the correct theological and dogmatic explanation of the Orthodox belief in the True and undivided Divine and Human Natures of the only Son of God Incarnate, which is masterly articulated in: (Μια Φυσις τоυ Θεоυ Λογου Σεσαρκουμενε).
All these Hierarchical and Honorary titles were bestowed upon the Bishop who occupies the Holy Apostolic Throne of Alexandria, among other reasons, as a constant reminder of the greatness of this Throne, and what it has accomplished and endured in the name of the indestructible Holy Orthodox Faith.
Historical evolution of the ecclesiastical title
Bishop
The head of the church of Alexandria was known just as ''Bishop of Alexandria'' since the time of St. Ananius, the first Bishop of Alexandria, who was ordained by St. Mark the Evangelist and Holy Apostle, where the latter preached and evangelized in the City of Alexandria. The title remained simply ''Bishop'' until the Church grew within and all over the Egyptian Province, and many Bishops were consecrated for the newly founded parishes all over the towns and cities.
The Bishop of Alexandria, being the successor of the first Bishop, the one who was first consecrated by St. Mark, was honored by the other Bishops as first among equals ''(Primus enter Pares)'' as a means of Church hierarchical recognition and organization. This was in addition to the appropriate honorary dignity, which was due by virtue of being the senior Bishop of the main metropolis of the Province of Alexandria, being also the Capital and the main Port of the Province.
Archbishop
This honor was bestowed by making the Senior Bishop an Archbishop, thus presiding in dignity of honor over all the Alexandrine and Egyptian Bishops. So was the case among other Provinces in the Roman Empire East & West (
Rome,
Antioch,
Jerusalem,
Ephesus,
Caesarea,
Edessa,
Seleucia and many others major Metropolitanates), as the Bishops of these Major Cities, and those who were presiding over the Churches, which were first established within the region, became to be known as Archbishops.
Eventually the Archbishop of Alexandria became the first among the Bishops of the Egyptian Province, presiding in dignity, honor and jurisdiction too. This title was first officially used at the beginning of the fourth century, as it was clearly documented in the official annals & minutes of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 AD), and in many documented historical and ecclesiastical manuscripts and books.
Pope
The local clergy of Alexandria and the Egyptian Bishops began to use the appellation of ''Papas'' when addressing the Bishop of Alexandria, St. Heraclas (the 13th Bishop of Alexandria in the middle of the 3rd Century). This was not used as a recognition of his jurisdictional authority but most essentially, as a sign of love towards their Primate. The appellation ''Papas'' was later used as a title for the Bishop of Alexandria, (sometime between the Fifth and the Seventh Century,) whose title of course, was and still is the Archbishop of Alexandria. There is a clear and distinct difference between appellation and title as mentioned above.
It is to be noted that the appellation of ''Papas'' was also enjoyed by the Bishop of Carthage by the late second & early third Centuries, most probably taken from Alexandria or from the common tradition of Pentapolis (under Alexandrine Jurisdiction) as it was quite common to call the Senior Bishop of Alexandria and the Senior Bishop of Pentapolis (who, by the way, was the second in importance and command after the Bishop of Alexandria and known as the Elder of Pentapolis) ''Papas.'' This may explain how, later on, the Bishop of Rome began to use the title of Pope; the appellation was carried over from the Bishop of Carthage.
The city of Carthage was part of the Latin Church of Rome (As the Church of Rome used the Latin language as its main Ecclesiastical Language). The name ''Papas'' or "Pope" was at that time only an appellation and was not considered as a title of jurisdiction or power or even an ecclesiastical rank higher than that of an Archbishop.
Patriarch
Between the Third Ecumenical Council of Ephesus (381 AD) and the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451 AD), the Archbishops of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires (i.e. the Archbishops of Alexandria, Antioch, Rome, Constantinople, and Jerusalem, also known as the Archbishops of the Ancient Apostolic Thrones), were given the title of Patriarch. These titles were ratified at the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451 AD), and henceforth were known historically as the Ancient Patriarchates of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church or otherwise as the Pentarchy.
To recapitulate, the Bishop of Alexandria was first known as the Bishop of Alexandria. Later, due to the importance and dignity of Alexandria as a Major Christian Center and as an Ancient Apostolic Throne, and in addition to the fact that the Bishop of Alexandria is the successor of the first Bishop on the Throne of Alexandria, he was given the title of Archbishop by the late Third Century. He was already called by the Alexandrine clergy and by all the Egyptian Bishops ''Papas,'' since the mid of the Third Century.
By the middle of the Fifth Century, the title of Patriarch was bestowed upon all major Apostolic thrones of the Holy Catholic, Apostolic and Orthodox Church (ratified by the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD). By this title, it meant that these Patriarchates have geographical jurisdiction based upon either the extent (domain) of the natural borders of their Provinces, or as set by Church Ecumenical Councils and/or Church Tradition.
Later, between the Fifth and Seventh Century, the appellation of ''“Papas”'' or ''“Pope”'' became somehow a title along with the Archiepiscopal and Patriarchal titles of the Bishop of Alexandria. This, however, did not mean that the title of ''“Pope”'' denoted a higher hierarchical or ecclesiastical dignity or rank than that of the title and rank of ''“Patriarch”'' given to the Bishop of Alexandria.
Accuracy in the description of the title of the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa
It is also important to pinpoint that the most correct and accurate description of the title of the Bishop of Alexandria, while being in accordance with the Ecumenical Canon Laws of the Universal Church, is to call him: “Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa,” rather than the inappropriate title: “Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the
See of St. Mark the Evangelist”.
The first reason for this particular title, rather than the wrongly used second one, is that the title of Patriarch was, is and will never be attributed to the apostolic founder of the Throne, but rather to the jurisdictional region of the Throne (Patriarchate), which the Patriarch has under his dominion. For example:
1) The Pope of Rome and Patriarch of the West for the Bishop of Rome (although the latter title was officially dropped as of 2006), but not the Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of the See of Saints Peter & Paul the Apostles.
2) The Patriarch of Antioch and of all the East for the Bishop of Antioch, but not the Patriarch of Antioch and the See of Saint Peter the Apostle.
3) The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Palestine (Holy Zion) and all Arabia, but not the Patriarch of Jerusalem and of the See of St. James the Apostle.
4) The Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch (the Ecumeme: The land beyond what was known or what was under the dominion of the Bishop of Rome within the Roman Empire, i.e. the land of the Berber.) for the Bishop of Constantinople, but not the Archbishop of Constantinople and Patriarch of the See of Saint Andrew the Apostle.
5) The Patriarch of Moscow and of all Russia for the Bishop of Moscow, but not the Patriarch of Moscow and of the See of St. Andrew the Apostle or of Prince St. Vladimir (who brought Christianity to Russia).
The second reason is that the title of a Throne, and for that matter any Patriarchate, should be in accordance with the Ecumenical Canon Laws of the Universal Church (Nicea, Constantinople and Chalcedon). This stipulates that, in the case of the Bishop of Alexandria, he has under his dominion the Egyptian Provinces, Pentapolis, Libya and Nubia, (which were at that time the extent of the known, explored and civilized parts of the East African Continent.) These lands were in fact, along with the Latin Archiepiscopate of Carthage, which included the Provinces of Africa (Tunisia), Numedia (Algeria) & Mauritania (Morocco), all of what was known of the Continent of Africa at that time.
With the demise of the North African Latin Archiepiscopate of Carthage, which was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Rome as per the Canon Law of the Ecumenical Council of Nicea; the entire north and east of the African Continent was eventually claimed and became entirely under the jurisdiction of the Pope of Alexandria. Later in history, the rest of the African Continent was discovered and evangelized and became, in reality, under the reachable jurisdiction and the dominion of the Pope of Alexandria.
If, on the other hand, the title of the Bishop of Alexandria is to be known only as “Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark,” it would imply as stipulated by this title that the “See of St. Mark” is a vague geographical jurisdiction with no defined boundaries and accordingly extends to wherever those, who are under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Alexandria, reside, without defined regional boundaries.
This means too that if whoever lives and settles outside Africa, then the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Alexandria extends to wherever he/she resides, because he/she is under the jurisdiction of the “See of St. Mark.” This is canonically wrong and would be in defiance with the Canon Laws of the Church as mentioned above; thwarting the fundamental reasons behind the definition of the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Thrones in the Canon Laws of the Church, especially when dioceses are established outside the region of the canonical jurisdiction of the Bishop of Alexandria (that is, outside Africa). This means that it constitutes a jurisdictional trespassing of the dominion of other Apostolic Thrones.
The wording of “the See of Saint Mark” could be incorporated, if desired, after the appropriate and correct title of the Patriarchate, meaning “Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa on the See (Throne) of Saint Mark the Holy Apostle ”. In like manner, the title of the Patriarchate should be “The (Coptic) Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and of all Africa” and not “The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate” or “The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Egypt” or the more commonly used “The Coptic Orthodox Church”.
The addition of “Coptic” is optional, because it does not constitute any official, ecclesiastical or canonical title, apart from a distinguishable designation from its Chalcedonian (Eastern Orthodox) counterpart, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and adds an ethnic flavor, which is foreign to the Apostolic Church concept of its Catholicity.
In fact, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa actually use the correct designation or title for the Patriarchate, whenever there is a reference to it: “The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and of all Africa.” Even the designation “Orthodox” is just added to differentiate between the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and its Catholic counterpart imposed by Rome.
Polity in extending pastoral care
The correct (politically correct) pastoral care that should be extended to those who reside outside the region of the canonical jurisdiction of the Bishop of Alexandria, or for that matter, any other Throne that has set jurisdictional boundaries, would be in the form of Patriarchal delegates known as “Patriarchal Exarchs”.
Forming “Patriarchal Exarchates” rather than “Jurisdictional Dioceses” outside the African continent to care for those who live outside the canonical jurisdiction of their Church and for those who wish to remain under the canonical jurisdiction and care of the Bishop of Alexandria would be the canonical way to extend such pastoral care.
In this way, the Apostolic Exarchates will not be in defiance or contradiction with the Canon Laws of the Church, but they will be considered as “Embassies of the Patriarchate of Alexandria” in these Lands (Countries), rather than “Jurisdictional Dioceses," which are outside the defined canonical jurisdiction.
The Administrators (Ordinaries/Prelates) of these Exarchates, could be Archpriests, Bishops or Archbishops; appointed as Patriarchal Exarchs of the Alexandrine Throne; this of course, will be with the proper notification and approval of the ruling Hierarchs of these Lands. This approach should be mutual between all the Ancient Apostolic Patriarchates, which has set jurisdictional boundaries.
Jurisdiction of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria
Administrative divisions of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria
★ 11 Metropolises with 10
metropolitans (1 Vacant Metropolis).
★ 54
Dioceses in Egypt and outside Egypt with 51
Diocesan Bishops plus 2 Bishops shepherding a particular flock {the Eritreans} in the
United States of America and the
United Kingdom, while 3
Dioceses remain vacant.
★ 9 Auxiliary Bishops (1 in a
Diocese in
France, 2 in Dioceses in Egypt and 6 assistants to H.H. the Pope in the
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cairo, which is directly under the responsibility of H.H. the Pope)
★ 5
Patriarchal Exarchs (2 In the
Archdiocese of
North America, 1 in the
United Kingdom and 2 in East and South Africa)
★ 9
Bishop Abbots of Patriarchal Monasteries, plus 2 Monasteries awaiting the nomination of its Bishop Abbot.
★ 7 General Bishops, including 3 Bishops heading Patriarchal Institutions, 2 Bishops Secretaries of H.H. the Pope and 2 General Bishops without portfolios.
★ 1
Chorbishop.
Patriarchal selection and election
The Coptic Orthodox Pope must be a
monk or a general bishop (not shepherding a
diocese). The election is done when a draw is made by a blindfolded child selected from the congregation to pick a folded paper written on it the name of the candidate, this draw is made out of the three runner finalists candidates, who are elected from several candidates through several elections made by the members of
The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church and the
General Lay Council of the Church , rather than being elected by other
clergymen.
This ceremony is done at the end of a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, presided by the
Locum tenens of the Throne, along with the entire body of the Holy Synod and with the presence of all members of the
General Lay Council of the Church and in front of all the congregation. The last time this was seen was in 1971 after the departure of His Holiness Pope Cyrill VI, where His Grace Bishop Shenouda, general bishop and administrator of the Bishopric of Christian Education became H.H Pope Shenouda III.
In accordance with the old Coptic church tradition; for nineteen centuries it was essential that the Pope should not have been a Bishop before hand ,however,
Pope Cyril VI was the only
Monk in the 20th century to be chosen to be the
Coptic Pope without being a
Bishop /
Metropolitan before becoming the Pope as before him there was three
Bishops /
Metropolitans who became Popes;
John XIX (
1928-
1942) ,
Macarius III (
1942-
1944) and
Pope Yousab II and after him
Pope Shenouda III was a Bishop before becoming a Pope.
[2]
Pontifical duties
The duties of the Coptic Orthodox Pope are:
★ To guide the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria in accordance to the orthodox faith.
★ To guide the various dioceses under his jurisdiction to nominate the candidates for episcopal shepherding, and thus consecrate the Hierarchs for these eparchies.
★ To chair the Holy Synod of the Church of Alexandria as
First among equals.
★ To promulgate
missions to preach
Christianity to various parts of the world.
★ To canonize saints, through the approval of the Holy Synod. A requirement of the Coptic Orthodox faith is that at least 50 years must pass from a
saint's death to his canonization, and the Coptic Orthodox Pope must follow that rule.
★ Erection and consacretion of new
Dioceses and new
churches. Under the papacy of His Holiness
Pope Shenouda III, Coptic Orthodox churches in
North America have multiplied by the hundreds. There are Coptic Orthodox Churches worldwide in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Brazil, Bolivia and other nations.
See also
★
Patriarch of Alexandria
★
Coptic Orthodox Church
★
List of Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria
★
The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church
★
Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria
References
1. http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/W4O42BT6T7FQ
2. History of the Coptic Church, Iris Habib Elmasry Volume five.
External links
★
Pope Shenouda III – official website
★
Pope Shenouda III – Coptic Orthodox Church Network
★
More information about the life of Pope Shenouda III – from Saint Takla Haymanout the Ethiopian Church, Alexandria, Egypt
★
Common declaration of Pope Shenouda III and Pope Paul VI (1973)
★
Pope Shenouda's sermons in Arabic
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