page_title: Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
section_title: Episcopal title
hierarchical_section_title: Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria / Episcopal title
caption_attribution_description: العربية: البابا شنودة الثالث، بابا الكنيسة القبطيَّة الأرثوذكسيَّة في مصر، يستمع إلى خطاب الرئيس الأمريكي باراك أوباما في قاعة المؤتمرات بجامعة القاهرة، والذي خاطب فيه العالم الإسلامي بتاريخ 4 يونيو سنة 2009. (الصورة الرسميَّة الخاصَّة بالبيت الأبيض من تصوير تشاك كندي). إنَّ هذه الصورة الرسميَّة خاصَّة البيت الأبيض يتم العمل على تخصيصها للنشر من قِبل المنظمات الإخباريَّة، و/أو للاستخدام والطباعة الشخصيَّة بهدف توضيح عمل يخص الشخص الظاهر بالصورة. لا يجوز التلاعب بالصورة بأي شكلٍ من الاشكال أو استخدامها لأهداف دعائيَّة أو ترويجيَّة تُظهر موافقة الرئيس الأمريكي أو عائلته، أو البيت الأبيض، على ذلك. English: Pope Shenouda III, The Coptic Orthodox Christians' Pope in Egypt, listens to President Barack Obama deliver a much anticipated speech to the Muslim world from the conference hall of Cairo University in Egypt June 4, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy). This official White House photograph is in the public domain from a copyright perspective, so while restrictions such as personality or privacy rights may apply, in general, manipulations are allowed.
context_page_description: The Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, a faith with ancient Christian roots in Egypt. The current holder of this position is Pope Tawadros II, who was selected as the 118th pope on November 18, 2012.
  Following the traditions of the church, the pope is chairman and head of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria as a first among equals. 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. It formulates the rules and regulations regarding matters of the church's organization, faith, and order. The pope 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 the Monastery of Saint Pishoy.
context_section_description: “Pope and Lord Archbishop of the Great City of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa on the Holy Apostolic Holy See of St. 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 father, as the senior and elder bishop among all bishops, within the Egyptian province, who are under his jurisdiction, three centuries before it was assumed by Pope John I Bishop of Rome (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.
  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. Only the Patriarch of Alexandria, however, has the double title of Pope and Patriarch among the Oriental Orthodox and the Eastern Orthodox thrones.
  Pope (Coptic: Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ, 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.
  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 Bishop of Rome (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. In the Roman Catholic viewpoint, 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 5th century. The 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). On the other hand, both the Oriental Orthodox and Byzantine Orthodox Churches respond by saying that their respective heads are equal with Rome and also note that Rome has deviated too much already from their original understanding.
  The Roman Catholic Church considers that the Pope of Rome ranks higher than the four other popes and patriarchs of the Major Apostolic Thrones (Alexandria, Constantinople, Antioch and Jerusalem). This viewpoint is not accepted by the Coptic Orthodox Church.
  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” withi
caption: Pope Shenouda III, the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark
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