Last article tackledPope Youhanna VI (1189-1216 AD), the seventy-fourth patriarch of Alexandria, who was a layman with many virtues and abundant knowledge. Hence, all opinions agreed on his ordination as a patriarch. It also spoke about Kilos of Abyssinia, who accidentally killed a priest and fled to Egypt, claiming that the queen’s brother had usurped the presidency, but his lies were uncovered and the council decided to strip him of his order. Pope YouhannaVI ordained a metropolitan and a priest for Abyssinia. They were two pious and ascetic brothers, they walked towards Abyssinia, accompanied by an Ethiopian delegation sent by the king with great dignity.
This patriarch was known for his defiance againstany breaching of the ecclesiastical law: it was reported that one of the Beshmore priests was widowed after the death of his wife and remarried, in violation of the law of the priesthood, so he was banned from practicing religious services in his town. This priest moved to Alexandria, where he held the prayers and services until his breaching got uncovered. So the father patriarch sentto the churches of “Alexandria” to prevent that priest from practicing ritual prayers, and not to allow a stranger whom they do not know to hold prayers in their churches.
The patriarch also suffered a number of internal wars: a monk complaint to King Al-Kamel that the patriarch receives a lot of money from the bishops, while his predecessors used to support the fleet. When the complaint reached King Al-Kamel through the judge, he said: “O judge, if others are unjust, let us not be so, let this monk go to his monastery until we call for him.” The monk went with great shame.
Pope Youhanna VI was a contemporary of a number of kings: Sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, King Al-Aziz Othman, then his son King al-Nasir Yusuf, his uncle King al-Afdal Ali, and King al-Adil, as well as many events that afflicted Egypt.
In the fourth year of the pontificate of Pope Youhanna VI, Sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi died in Damascus and was buried there (as previously mentioned). After him, King al-Aziz Othman ruled Egypt. The prices of wheat and legumes, like lentils and beans, got so high in those days. Anba Severus Ibn al-Muqaffa mentioned: “The wheat’s price reached: one hundred and seventy dinars for one hundred ardebs, moreover, the price was not stable, it rather would exceed the price for a week, then it would decrease again. Likewise, the rest of the grains: an ardeb for a dinar, and other legumes’ price doubled. People in Egypt suffered severe conditions for three years.” This is in addition to the conflict betweenKing Al-Aziz and King Al-Afdal- it will be discussed later. In 594 AH (1197/1198 AD), the Franks breached the truce concluded between them and Sultan Salah Al-din, and their boats headed to Acre and the coast, as some of them came to Egypt, they also conquered Tebnin castle, located at the South of Lebanon, yet they could not face the armies of Kings Al-Adil and Al-Aziz. They left and settled around a number of cities, such as Tyre, Acre, and others, until a truce was concluded between the two parties for a period of six years.
King Al-Aziz died in 595 AH (1198 AD), succeeded by his son Yusuf, and he was given the title of his grandfather, Al-Nasser Yusuf. As he was still young, his uncle, King Al-AfdalNur Al-Din Ali, came to take over Egypt’s rule. Wars were raged between King Al-Afdaland his uncle, King Al-Adil over the rule of Damascus.
Wars broke out between King Al-Adil and King Al-AfdalNour Al-Din in Egypt, the army of King Al-Adil conquered and managed to enterCairo in 596 AH (1200 AD), and he became the ruler of the country. In 1210 A.D., Pope YouhannaVI witnessed the advent of the Franks’ campaign against Damietta, plundering, killing, and capturing its people.And… Stories about beautiful Egypt never ends!
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
