Pope Joseph II of Alexandria

Pope Joseph II of Alexandria
115th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark

Papacy began	1946
Papacy ended	14 November 1956
Predecessor	Macarius III
Successor	Cyril VI
Personal details
Born	Damanhour, Egypt
Died	14 November 1956(1956-11-14)^[1] Cairo, Egypt
Buried	Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Azbakeya)
Nationality	Egyptian
Denomination	Coptic Orthodox Christian
Residence	Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Azbakeya)

Pope Joseph II of Alexandria (Abba Yousab II) was the 115th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

The Pope

He was the Metropolitan of Girga before becoming the Pope and he is the third Bishop / Metropolitan to become a Pope after Popes John XIX (1928–1942) and Macarius III (1942–1945).^[2]

The Seat of the Pope in Cairo during his papacy remained in the Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Azbakeya, Cairo.

Ethiopia

He is revered in Ethiopia for having appointed the first Ethiopian-born metropolitan Archbishop for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, and granting that church full autocephaly. His deposition by the Coptic Synod was not accepted by the Ethiopian Church, and the name of Pope Joseph II was still raised in church services in Ethiopia as Patriarch long after he was removed from office.

Work

During Pope Yosab II's papacy the Institute of Coptic Studies was founded in 1954.^[3] by the Coptic Orthodox Church and based in Cairo.

Between the years 1950–1952 A.D., in the time of Pope Yosab II, the building of Saint Mark's Church in Alexandria was pulled down – as it was old – and another bigger building was built with reinforced concrete after the basilique style. The six marble pillars were transferred into the outer entrance of the church. The iconostais was accurately cut into parts, each part given a number, and then it was cautiously returned to where it was originally. The two minarets were not pulled down as they were reinforced with concrete and were decorated with beautiful Coptic engravings. Two new bells – brought from Italy – were provided one for each minaret.^[4]

Removal from office

Pope Yousab II proved to be a weak and indecisive patriarch. During his reign, there were numerous power struggles within the church and corruption became widespread.^[5]^[6] Yousab's valet and secretary, Malik, acted as an intermediary between the Pope and the rest of the Church, and gradually assumed much of the Pope's power. According to various reports, Malik charged large sums of money for an audience with the Pope and sold at least sixteen of the nineteen episcopal appointments made during Yousab II's reign.^[5] Accusations of corruption and simony against Yousab II became common in the Egyptian press during this time, stirring up discontent among the Coptic laity.^[5]

In July 1954, a group of political activists known as the Umma al-Qibtiya (Society of the Coptic Nation) staged a protest demanding that Yousab II resign. On July 25, 1954, the protest culminated in the group kidnapping the Pope and taking him to the Coptic Convent of Saint George in Old Cairo where he was forced to sign a letter of abdication.^[5]^[6] However, the police were able to rescue the Pope and return him to the patriarchal residence.^[5]

A year later, the Church's Synod and the General Congregation Council agreed to remove Pope Yousab II from office, stating that he was not fit to execute his duties.^[5] He retired to one of the monasteries and in his last days he was transferred to the Coptic Hospital in Azbakeya, Cairo where he died in 1956.

The Church was managed by a committee formed of three of the Metropolitans from 1956 to 1959. The committee included Metropolitans Mikhail of Assiut, Metropolitan Agapius Bishop of Dairut and Qasqam and Metropolitan Benyamine, Bishop of Monufia.

References

↑ Hagai Erlikh: The cross and the river: Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Nile, Lynne Rienner Publishers Inc., Boulder, Colorado, 2002, P. 136–137
↑ History of the Coptic Church, Iris Habib Elmasry Volume five.
↑ Kamil, Jill (2007). "Obituary: Isaac Fanous (1919-2007)". Al-Ahram. Archived from the original on 16 February 2007.
↑ "CHURCH - HISTORY". Saint-Mark Coptic Orthodox Church. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Meinardus, Otto F. A. (2002). Two thousand years of Coptic Christianity (1st paperback ed.). Cairo: American University in Cairo Press. p. 77. ISBN 9774247574.
1 2 Hulsman, Cornelis (17 March 2012). "Egypt's Pope Shenouda III Dead at 88". Christianity Today. Retrieved 4 November 2012.

Oriental Orthodox titles
Preceded by Macarius III	Coptic Pope 1946–1956	Succeeded by Vacant (1956–1959) followed by Cyril VI

Popes of Alexandria and Patriarchs of the See of St. Mark

Patriarchs prior to the Chalcedonian schism (43–451)	Mark I the Evangelist (founder) Anianus Avilius Kedronos Primus Justus Eumenius Markianos* Celadion Agrippinus Julian Demetrius I Heraclas Dionysius Maximus Theonas Peter I Achillas Alexander I Athanasius I Peter II Timothy I Theophilus I Cyril I Dioscorus I

Coptic Orthodox Popes and Patriarchs (451–present)	Timothy II Peter III Athanasius II John I John II Dioscorus II Timothy III Theodosius I Peter IV Damian Anastasius Andronicus Benjamin I Agathon John III Isaac Simeon I Alexander II Cosmas I Theodore I Michael I Mina I John IV Mark II James Simeon II Joseph I Michael II Cosmas II Shenouda I Michael III Gabriel I Cosmas III Macarius I Theophilus II (AKA Theophanes) Mina II Abraham Philotheos Zacharias Shenouda II Christodolos Cyril II Michael IV Macarius II Gabriel II Michael V John V Mark III John VI Cyril III Athanasius III John VII Gabriel III John VII Theodosius III John VIII John IX Benjamin II Peter V Mark IV John X Gabriel IV Matthew I Gabriel V John XI Matthew II Gabriel VI Michael VI John XII John XIII Gabriel VII John XIV Gabriel VIII Mark V John XV Matthew III Mark VI Matthew IV John XVI Peter VI John XVII Mark VII John XVIII Mark VIII Peter VII Cyril IV Demetrius II Cyril V John XIX Macarius III Joseph II Cyril VI Shenouda III Tawadros II (current)

Greek Orthodox Patriarchs (451–present)	Proterius Timothy II Timothy III John I Peter III Athanasius II John II John III Dioscorus II Timothy IV Theodosius I Gainas Paul Zoilus Apollinarius John IV Eulogius Theodore I John V George I Cyrus Peter IV Peter V Peter VI Cosmas I Politianus Eustatius Christopher I Sophronius I Michael I Michael II Christodoulos Eutychius Sophronius II Isaac Job Elias I Arsenius Theophilus II George II Leontius Alexander II John VI Cyril II Sabbas Sophronius III Elias II Eleutherius Mark III* Nicholas I Gregory I Nicholas II Athanasius III Gregory II Gregory III Niphon Mark IV Nicholas III Gregory IV Nicholas IV Athanasius IV Mark V Philotheus Mark VI Gregory V Joachim I Silvester Meletius I Pegas Cyril III Gerasimus I Metrophanes Nicephorus Joannicius Paisius Parthenius I Gerasimus II Samuel Cosmas II Cosmas III Matthew Cyprian Gerasimus III Parthenius II Theophilus III Hierotheus I Artemius Hierotheus II Callinicus Jacob Nicanor Sophronius IV Photius Meletius II Nicholas V Christopher II Nicholas VI Parthenius III Peter VII Theodore II (current)

*Markianos is considered Mark II on the Greek side of the subsequent schism, hence this numbering of Mark III. Category Commons

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