Last article talked about Sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi and his reconciliation with the Franks, then his march to Bayt al-Maqdis, followed by his entry into Damascus and stay there for about a year until he fell ill with fever, his health conditions deteriorated, causing the doctors to be perplexed in his case.
Sultan Salah al-Din died in 589 AH (1193 AD), and the people mourned him greatly and wept for him. The contemporary patriarch of the rule of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi was Pope MorcosIbnZara’a, the seventy-third patriarch of Alexandria, who departed in 1189 AD after sitting on the See of Saint Mark for about 22 and a half years, he was succeeded by Pope Youhanna VI.
Pope Youhanna VI (1189- 1216 AD)
The seventy fourth patriarch of Alexandria, he was a celibate layman who worked in trade, his name was Abu Al-Magd. He was popular among the people with many virtues, with his abundant knowledge in the Holy Books, it was said about him: “He was of perfect body and stature, cheerful face and good manners, he was of soft-speech, good company (when dealing with people), diligent at times of prayers, charity doer, rich since his young age, as he inherited wealth from his father and grandfathers. He had an agency in Egypt where he traded; sold and bought… he was of perfect condition regarding religious and worldly affairs, and he needed nothing of the worldly matters”. The historian AvaSawirisIbn al-Muqaffa mentioned that he used to give a lot of alms to the needy, rejoice in hosting the strangers, strive hard to visit the sick and the imprisoned, pray a lot, he offered much affection for everyone, and doing good for everyone until he became famous and well-known. Therefore, after the departure of Pope MorcosIbnZara’a, opinions from Egypt and Alexandria unanimously agreed on ordaining Abu al-Majd a patriarch. He was said to have given away all his money, estimated at nearly seven thousand dinars, among the poor and the churches, this happened during the days of Sultan Salah al-Din in 585 AH (1189 AD), four years before his death.
During the pontificate of Pope Youhanna VI, the Metropolitan of Abyssinia passed away, so, Bishop Kilos, of Fuh city- which people were all killed due to wars with the Franks –was appointed in the place of the deceased metropolitan, after being granted the rank of a metropolitan. The new metropolitan traveled to Abyssinia, where he was receivedby the king and the peoplewith great celebration. However, he soon abandoned the life of monastic asceticism and led a life of luxury, and was served by ten priests as his disciples. One day, a very expensive utensil of gold was lost from the Axium church located in the capital. The metropolitan suspected the treasurer of the church, who was one of his disciples, and ordered him to be beaten until he fell dead. Hence, the priest’s people revolted, and the metropolitan fled to Egypt. When he came to Egypt, Pope Youhanna VI was astonished and wondered about the reason behind coming to Egypt. The metropolitan claimed that the queen’s brother had usurped the presidency due to disagreements with him on some religiously unacceptable matters. However, the patriarch father sent a delegate to the king of Abyssinia to inquire about the issue, while he detained the metropolitan until the delegate returned. The delegate returned a year later, with the results of the investigations, accompanied by some senior officials of the kingdom, and the king’s private priest, to testify to the metropolitan’s crime. The king of Abyssinia asked Pope Youhanna VI to send another metropolitan, whereassending a precious gift to King Al-Adil, the Sultan of Egypt, accompanied by a letter to authorize the patriarch to appoint another metropolitan. Since the king was in Syria then,leaving his son Al-Kamilin charge, the latter accepted the gift of the King of Abyssinia, and authorized the patriarch to send another metropolitan to Abyssinia. The patriarch held a council of bishops to look into the metropolitan’s case, summoned him and informed him of the charges against him, giving him the opportunity to defend himself, but he said nothing to justify his actions. The Council so sentenced him to be stripped of his order. And… Stories about beautiful Egypt never end!
The General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
