We have talked about Pope Shenouda II, the 65th patriarch of Alexandria who departed in 1047, to be succeeded by Pope Christodoulos.
Pope Christodoulos (1047- 1077)
The 66th patriarch of the See of Saint Mark. He was born in Bora city, joined monasticism at Al Baramos Monastery, named then Monk Christodoulos, he yearned for the life of solitude and asceticism with God; so he moved to a hermitage (a small room) to pursuit solitude on the shore of the salty sea (Al Burullus lake), he was called “the recluse”.
After the departure of Pope Shenouda II, Alexandria’s people, priests, and senior laymen gathered to discuss who would be the successor to the departed Pope. Several names were suggested until Monk Christodoulos was chosen involuntarily to the patriarchate, since he was ascetic, having no lust for worldly posts and possessions. He had a fellow monk named Yackoub and he was a saint. He knew through the spirit that Monk Christodoulos would become a patriarch, so he wept a lot for that huge responsibility to be put on his shoulders, and he informed him of that.
Upon choosing him, a delegation from the Churches of Alexandria went to Monk Christodoulos at his cell, asked him to go with them to Alexandria, a request which he refused to fulfill, yet they forcefully took him to Alexandria in order to be consecrated a patriarch for the See of Saint Mark on 11/12/1047 AD during the reign of Caliph Al-Mustansir. His biographer stated that he had only two dirhams and three quarters at that time.
After his consecration, he departed from Alexandria, coming to Cairo, and set his residence at The Hanging Church of Saint Virgin Mary in Old Cairo, known as Al-Mu’allaqa. He renovated the Church of Martyr Saint Mercurius, converting it into a great cathedral and a center for his seat. Historians attribute transferring the papal residence to Cairo to the decreased importance of Alexandria in time of an increasing importance of Cairo for having a growing number of Christians, as well as to the relationship of his papal office to the government. Pope Christodoulos appointed a bishop for Alexandria, given the title “The Vicar of the See of Saint Mark”.
Pope Christoldoulos’ spent his papacy years in peace and tranquility: he constructed churches in Alexandria and the governorates, ordained several bishops, priests and deacons, advising them that the deacons have no right to the church money except in certain allowed limits. The pope also made efforts in restoring the vandalized churches and visiting all the churches of Egypt. He also cared about the church rituals which had been abandoned during his predecessor’s era; he set ritual rules nearly two years after his consecration, related to the rite of baptism, the behavior and awe of the believers when entering the church and sitting there, as well as during the prayers, like: “They shall stand in the churches, on Sundays and feast days, in fear and trembling before God, glorified be His name, through invocation, supplication and asking for the remission of sins, and deliverance from the traps of the enemy. Nobody shall speak at times of prayer and the liturgy except in two matters: religion and reading, and knowledge and interpretations, which are for the salvation of souls, and they shall listen to the commandments of the Lord until the liturgy ends.” He also set rules related to the Great Lent, the Holy Week, the ritual of the Joyous Fifty Days, the Apostles’ fast, the fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, Nativity fasts, the Epiphany, as well as the relationships between the fathers priests and deacons. Pope Christodoulos fought against simony which had spread widely in his predecessor’s era. Thus, peace had prevailed until internal and external troubles began facing the patriarch.
Internal Troubles
One day, the pope was praying with some Syrians, he knew that they put salt and oil in the holy Eucharist, in contrary of the church ritual. One of them, Sheikh Abu Al-Bishr who was the king’s doctor and a close figure to him, complaint against the pope to the minister and to the Patriarch of Antioch, while our pope had only cared to implement the right rituals he had received from the church fathers. And… Stories never end in beautiful Egypt!
The General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
