Pope Peter VII of Alexandria

Pope Peter VII of Alexandria
Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
Papacy began	24 December 1809
Papacy ended	5 April 1852
Predecessor	Mark VIII
Successor	Cyril IV
Personal details
Born	Mankarius Gawly - Manfalut, Egypt
Died	15 April 1852 Egypt
Buried	Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Azbakeya)
Nationality	Egyptian
Denomination	Coptic Orthodox Christian
Residence	Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Azbakeya)

Pope Peter VII of Alexandria (Abba Boutros El-Gawly), 109th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. He was born in the village of El-Gawly in Upper Egypt, and known as Mankarius while a monk at the Monastery of Saint Anthony on the Red Sea.

During his papacy, sensing intimations of pressure from Roman Catholicism, the Coptic Church intensified her teaching, her preaching, and her pastoral work, and the Coptic Pope himself intensified his writing on matters of faith and doctrine. During the period, many private and public patriarchal libraries were founded.

When the Russian Tsar sent his delegates with an offer to put the Coptic Church under his protection, Pope Peter declined the proposal by asking, "Does your Emperor live forever?" When the envoy answered that he would die, like all humans, the Pope told him that he preferred the Protector of the Church who would not die.^{[citation needed]}

The papal throne stood vacant for a little over one year before his successor, Cyril IV, was elected.

Also during the papacy, Saint Sidhom Bishay [1] was martyred at the hands of Muslims in Damietta. His martyrdom made possible the raising of the Cross openly during Christian funeral processions, for this practice was previously forbidden.

His feast date is 28 Paremhat.^[1]

Source and further details

• Coptic Orthodox Synaxarium (Book of Saints)

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