Pope John XIX of Alexandria

Head of the Coptic Church from 1928 to 1942

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Pope John XIX of Alexandria
Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark

Native name	البابا يوأنس التاسع عشر
Papacy began	16 December 1928
Papacy ended	21 June 1942
Predecessor	Cyril V
Successor	Macarius III
Personal details
Born	1855 (1855) Dair Tasa, Asyut, Egypt
Died	21 June 1942(1942-06-21) (aged 86–87) Egypt
Buried	Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Azbakeya)
Nationality	Egyptian
Denomination	Coptic Orthodox Christian
Residence	Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Azbakeya)

Pope John XIX of Alexandria (1855–1942) was the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark form 1928 until his death in 1942.

A monk

He joined the Paromeos Monastery in the Nitrian Desert as a monk and was sent to Greece to study Theology. Afterwards, Pope Cyril V appointed him a Metropolitan.

Enthroning a Bishop as Pope

Before becoming a Pope, John XIX was the Metropolitan of Al Beheira in Egypt; he is the first ever Bishop/Metropolitan of an Eparchy to become a Pope in the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church; before him the tradition was to nominate a Monk to the Papal position^[1]

Some argue that the choice of Bishop as Pope (and Bishop) of the City of Alexandria is not canonical (against Canon 15 of Nicea and other Church councils/canons).^[2] This issue has caused an ongoing dispute since 1928 in the Coptic Orthodox Church.

References

^ The story of the Coptic Church, Iris Habib Elmasry
^ "Subscribe to the "Civil Dialogue" channel on YouTube" (in Arabic). Retrieved 14 August 2023.

Oriental Orthodox titles
Preceded by Marcos II	Bishop of Beheira 1887–1928	Succeeded by Tomas
Preceded by Ionannes I	Bishop of Monufia 1894–1928	Succeeded by Demetirus
Preceded by Cyril V	Coptic Pope 1928–1942	Succeeded by Macarius III