Pope John VIII of Alexandria | |
|---|---|
| Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark | |
| Papacy began | 14 February 1300 |
| Papacy ended | 29 May 1320 |
| Predecessor | Theodosius III |
| Successor | John IX |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Yohanna Ben-Ebsal Bani-Khosaim,Egypt |
| Died | (1320-05-29)29 May 1320 |
| Buried | Shahran Monastery |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Denomination | Coptic Orthodox Christian |
| Residence | Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo |
John VIII ibn Qiddis (died 29 May 1320) was the 80thpope of the Coptic Orthodox Church from 14 February 1300 until his death.[1]
Pope John VIII was born in Meniat Bani-Khosaim. His real name wasYohanna Ben-Ebsal, but he was known as El Mo'ataman Ebn El-Kedees. He becamemonk at the Monastery of Shahran and was ordained Pope on 19Meshir 1016AM (14 February 1300AD).[2]
During the papacy of John VIII, severe tribulations befell theChristians inEgypt and heavy taxes were imposed. An official from Morocco was displeased to find the Copts so active in the financial sector.[2] Many churches were closed inCairo and in different parts of the country. Exceptions were the monasteries inAlexandria and a few churches in other cities. An envoy from the emperor ofEthiopia came to intercede on behalf of the Christians. Two churches were subsequently opened, one of them was theCoptic Orthodox church of theChurch of the Virgin Mary (Haret Zuweila), and the other was theMelkite church ofSaint Nicholas in El-Hamzawe.
Pope John VIII was a contemporary ofSaint Parsoma, and presided over his funeral. He was the last to reside in the church ofSaint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo. He was the first to relocate the patriarchal throne to the Church of the Virgin Mary (Haret Zuweila). He was residing there in the year 1303 AD. when asevere earthquake caused great destruction inSyria and Egypt. Ebn Kabre indicated that Pope John VIII had made some changes in the Liturgy. He died on4 Paoni 1036 A.M. (29 May 1320 AD)[2] after 20 years, 3 months, and 15 days on the Patriarchal Throne.
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Coptic Pope 1300–1320 | Succeeded by |