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23-940: The following is a list of all of the Coptic Orthodox popes who have led the Coptic Orthodox Church and have succeeded the Apostle Mark the Evangelist in the office of Bishop of Alexandria , who founded the Church in the 1st century, and marked the beginning of Christianity in Africa . The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the Oriental Orthodox churches (not to be confused with the Byzantine Orthodox group of churches) and

46-469: A grand assembly is called, including the 74 bishops of the Coptic Church and twelve representatives from each diocese , chosen from elders and leaders of associations. This is a large body, consisting of one thousand people who will be voting for the candidates. The three that receive the most support will have their names on the ballot during the ceremony of the "sacred election by lot." The ceremony

69-805: Is John, with 19 popes taking this name. There have also been 25 papal names that have only been used once. The number of all popes to the present is 118. Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church Following the traditions of the church, the pope is chairman and head of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria . The Holy Synod is the highest authority in the Church of Alexandria, which has between 12 and 18 million members worldwide, 10 to 14 million of whom are in Egypt. The pope

92-659: Is also the chairman of the church's General Congregation Council . Although historically associated with the city of Alexandria , the residence and Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria has been located in Cairo since 1047. The pope is currently established in Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral , inside a compound which includes the Patriarchal Palace, with an additional residence at

115-431: Is held during a public ritual which the entire community of the faithful is invited to attend. Then, during the ceremony, a blindfolded child pulls one of three cards from within a chalice, each with the name of a different candidate written on them, out of a silver urn. The name on the card picked by the child will be the identity of the person chosen to be the new pope. After the death of Shenouda III on March 17, 2012

138-627: Is presided over by the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria who is the body's spiritual leader. This position is held since 2012 by Pope Tawadros II , the 118th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa on the Holy See of St. Mark . The Oriental Orthodox believe that they are the "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic" Church of the ancient Christian creeds. To this date 92 of the Coptic Popes have been glorified , i.e., canonized as saints , in

161-461: The Coptic Orthodox Church . The title "pope" (in Greek, Papás ) originally was a form of address meaning 'Father' used by several bishops. The first known record of this designation was Heraclas , the 13th Archbishop of Alexandria (232–249). The Alexandrian usage of the honorific does not conflict with the usage in reference to the bishop of Rome . The full ecclesiastical title is Papa Abba, and

184-636: The Council of Chalcedon , see List of Patriarchs of Alexandria . For the patriarchs of the Byzantine Orthodox church after the split with the Oriental Orthodox church, see List of Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Alexandria . Not all of the dates given are certain. The dates below are according to the Gregorian calendar . Some of the dates disagree with those given in Coptic publications such as The English Katameros . In some cases, publication errors caused

207-527: The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church voted on a successor. The names of the three candidates who received most votes were put in a glass chalice. One name was then picked by a blindfolded boy, believed to be guided by the hand of God. The man thus picked became the new Patriarch of Alexandria. Shenouda III had been elected in a similar fashion. The word pope derives from Greek πάππας meaning "father". A record in history of

230-523: The Monastery of Saint Pishoy . The liturgy of the Altar Ballot took place on November 4, 2012. The 60-year-old Bishop Tawadoros, Auxiliary Bishop of Beheira, assistant to Metropolitan Pachomios of Beheira, was chosen as the 118th Pope of Alexandria. He then chose the name of Tawadros (Theodoros or Theodore). He was formally enthroned on November 18, 2012. The early Christian Church recognized

253-580: The Pope . The Council had a disagreement with Pope Cyril V of Alexandria at the start of his pontificate, which was resolved in the Pontiff's favour. This was followed by several confrontations between the two parties, primarily because of the Pope's objection about the interference of the Council in the church's matters. There were at many times tension between the Council and the Pope, especially during

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276-531: The General Secretary for the Council is Dr. Tharwat Bassily , الدكتور ثروت باسيلي previously this post has seen many prominent Copts like Boutros Ghali بطرس غالى the grandfather of Boutros Boutros Ghali بطرس بطرس غالى and Habib Elmasry the father of Iris Habib Elmasry . Currently the Council is formed of twenty four members (males and females) elected by the Copts in Egypt and is chaired by

299-519: The Pontificate of Pope Macarius III (1942–1944), the council agreed with The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the decision to remove Pope Joseph II (1946–1956) from office in 1954. During the Pontificate of Pope Cyril VI (1959–1971) there was no major disagreements and Pope Shenouda III (1971–2012) maintained a good relationship with the Council, since he was the Chairman of

322-479: The death of the Coptic pope – is the appointment of a regent, chosen by the Holy Synod (the assembly of Coptic bishops) to lead the Church until it chooses a successor. Usually it is one of the eldest of the bishops. Under his leadership, within the space of a month, a committee consisting of fourteen members of the Synod, has the task of preparing, based on reports received, an initial list of five or six candidates for

345-633: The difference and have been corrected. In other cases, calendar differences between the Julian and the Gregorian calendars have caused some confusion. Dioscorus I served as Patriarch of Alexandria since 444 until he was deposed and exiled by the Council of Chalcedon in 451, but he was still recognized as the Coptic Pope until his death in 454. 15 January 1271 – 21 April 1293 (29 years, 1 month, 8 days) The most frequently used papal name

368-463: The election. There are specific criteria that need to be met: the future Coptic pope must be over 40 years old, he must have lived as a monk for at least fifteen years, and must never have been married. Once chosen, this list is then published in Egypt's three major Arab-language newspapers, communicating the names of the candidates to all the faithful of the Coptic Church. For this reason, the next step takes place only after three months. At that point

391-421: The leadership of this church is not part of this system. Members of the Coptic Orthodox Church consider their heads as direct successors of Mark the Evangelist , as they consider Mark the first Bishop of Alexandria and founder the Church in the 1st century. The pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church is elected with the following procedure since 1957: The first step – which must take place within seven days after

414-689: The patriarch may be found at: General Congregation Council General Congregation Council ( Arabic : المجلس الملي العام للأقباط الأرثوذكس ) is part of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and represents the laity of the Church, it is also known as the Coptic Orthodox Lay Council Established in February 1874 during the vacancy time of the Patriarchal Throne before the election of Pope Cyril V of Alexandria . The order for its establishment

437-524: The person who bears it stands for the devotion of all monastics, from Pentapolis in the west to Constantinople in the east, to his guidance. Within the denomination, it is the most powerful designation, for all monks in the East to voluntarily follow his spiritual authority, and it is said that it should be assumed that he is a bearer of Christ. For the Patriarchs of Alexandria prior to the schism after

460-532: The special significance of several cities as leaders of the worldwide Church. The Church of Alexandria is one of these original patriarchates , but the succession to the role of patriarch in Alexandria is still disputed after the separation which followed the Council of Chalcedon . The later development of the Pentarchy also granted secular recognition to these religious leaders. Because of this split,

483-447: The term "pope" is assigned to Pope Heraclas of Alexandria in a letter written by the bishop of Rome, Dionysius , to Philemon: τοῦτον ἐγὼ τὸν κανόνα καὶ τὸν τύπον παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου πάπα ἡμῶν Ἡρακλᾶ παρέλαβον. which translates into: I received this rule and ordinance from our blessed pope, Heraclas. It is difficult to ascertain the identity of the first Bishop of Rome to carry the title Pope of Rome . Some sources suggest that it

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506-537: Was Pope Marcellinus (died 304 AD). From the 6th century, the imperial chancery of Constantinople normally reserved this designation for the Bishop of Rome. From the early 6th century, it began to be confined in the West to the Bishop of Rome, a practice that was firmly in place by the 11th century, when Pope Gregory VII declared it reserved for the Bishop of Rome. Further reading on traditions and procedures for electing

529-524: Was issued by Isma'il Pasha who was, then, the Khedive of Egypt. The first rules of the Council were issued in January 1874 by Khedive Tewfik Pasha who ruled Egypt after his father Isma'il Pasha . By 1883, the Council was fully established and in charge of managing non ecclesiastical matters of the church. The Chairman of the council is the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria . Currently

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