Pope Gabriel VII of Alexandria
Saint Gabriel VII of Alexandria | |
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95th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark | |
Papacy began | 1525 |
Papacy ended | 1570 |
Predecessor | John XIII |
Successor | John XIV |
Personal details | |
Born | Manfalout, Egypt |
Died |
1570 Egypt |
Buried | Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo |
Nationality | Egyptian |
Denomination | Coptic Orthodox Christian |
Residence | Church of the Virgin Mary (Haret Zuweila) |
Sainthood | |
Feast day | (10 Epip in the Coptic Calendar) |
Papal styles of Saint Gabriel VII | |
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Reference style | His Holiness |
Spoken style | Your Holiness |
Religious style | Pope and Patriarch |
Posthumous style | Saint |
Pope Gabriel VII of Alexandria (Anda Gabriel VII) was the 95th Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.
He was born in the area around the monastery of El-Mouharraq, and at a young age he became a monk in the wilderness at the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great. Known for his good conduct and great holiness, he was ordained Patriarch in 1525 A.D. following the death of Pope John XIII. Gabriel's patriarchate witnessed the early years of Ottoman rule in Egypt.
Gabriel was patriarch for more than forty years. Some of his important accomplishments were the renovation of the monasteries of Saint Anthony, and Saint Paul, the first hermit, in the Eastern desert, and the monastery of El-Mouharraq in Upper Egypt.
Some people in authority asked him to approve things against the welfare of his flock. The Pope chose to leave his Chair and he went to the Monastery of Saint Anthony, for he desired to keep what the Lord said: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) The Lord examined him but he endured thankfully, and received the blessing that the Lord gave for those persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Pope Gabriel died in 1570 following a brief illness.
References
- General
- Meinardus, Otto F.A. (2002). Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-977-424-757-6.
- Atiya, Aziz S. The Coptic Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1991. ISBN 0-02-897025-X
External links
- The Official website of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy See of Saint Mark the Apostle
- Coptic Documents in French
Oriental Orthodox titles | ||
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Preceded by John XIII |
Coptic Pope 1525–1570 |
Succeeded by John XIV |