Papacy began 23 October 1769 Name Pope XVIII Papacy ended 7 June 1796 Died June 7, 1796, Egypt | Birth name Joseph Term ended June 7, 1796 Nationality Egyptian | |
Buried Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo Denomination Coptic Orthodox Christian Place of burial Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo Successor Pope Mark VIII of Alexandria Predecessor Pope Mark VII of Alexandria People also search for Pope Mark VII of Alexandria | ||
Pope John XVIII of Alexandria | Wikipedia audio article
Pope John XVIII of Alexandria (Abba Youannis), 107th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. Pope John XVIII was born in Fayoum, Egypt. His lay name was Joseph. He became a monk in the Monastery of Saint Anthony. At the departure of Pope Mark VII, he was unanimously chosen to succeed him. He was ordained at the church of Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo, on Sunday, 15 Paopi, 1486 A.M. (23 October 1769 AD)
Contents
- Pope John XVIII of Alexandria Wikipedia audio article
- Relations with Rome
- Persecution
- Ibrahim El Gohary
- References
The Seat of the Pope during his papacy remained in the Saint Mary Church (Haret Elroum) in Cairo.
Relations with Rome
During his papacy, Pope Pius VI of Rome attempted to attract the Eastern Churches to Roman Catholicism. Thus, he published the proceedings of the Council of Chalcedon and distributed it in all the countries of the East. Pope Pius VI of Rome even sent an envoy to Pope John XVIII of Alexandria asking him to unite with the Roman Catholic Church. The famous scholar and theologian Joseph el-Abbah, Bishop of Girga responded to the message, refuting its claims and defending Orthodoxy.
Persecution
During the papacy of Pope John XVIII, the Copts were persecuted by the Ottoman rulers. The Jizya was increased to unprecedent amounts of money, and those who could not pay it had to convert to Islam or be executed. The commander of the Ottoman army stationed in Egypt seized the treasury of the Patriarchate and confiscated all its funds. Pope John XVIII had to go into hiding for some time.
Ibrahim El-Gohary
Pope John XVIII was a good friend of the famous Coptic layman Ibrahim El-Gohary. Together, they worked on restoring monasteries and churches. They also prepared the Holy Myron.
Pope John XVIII departed on 2 Paoni, 1512 A.M. (7 June 1796 AD) He remained on the papal Throne of Saint Mark for 26 years, 7 months, and 16 days. He was buried in the tombs of the Patriarchs at Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo. The papal Throne remained vacant after his departure for 3 months and 26 days.