Pope Cyril II of Alexandria

Saint

Cyril II of Alexandria
Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
Papacy began18 March 1078
Papacy ended6 June 1092
PredecessorChristodoulos
SuccessorMichael IV
Personal details
Born
Died6 June 1092
Egypt
BuriedMonastery of Saint Macarius the Great
NationalityEgyptian
DenominationCoptic Orthodox Christian
ResidenceThe Hanging Church
Sainthood
Feast day6 June (12 Paoni in the Coptic calendar)

Pope Cyril II of Alexandria, 67th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

Patriarch Cyril attempted to ordain a properly consecrated bishop to be the new Abuna of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but Badr al-Jamali, the Vizier of Caliph Al-Mustansir, forced him to ordain instead Abuna Sawiros. Although at first warmly welcomed when he reached Ethiopia, the Caliph's candidate began to openly favor Islam in that Christian country by building seven mosques, ostensibly for the use of Muslim traders. This led to a general uproar in Ethiopia. Abuna Sawiros justified his acts by saying a refusal to build these mosques would result in a persecution in Egypt; nevertheless, the Abuna was imprisoned, the seven mosques destroyed, and restrictions placed on the Muslim traders. Reciprocal acts followed in Egypt, and a rupture in the relations between the two countries.[1]

  1. ^ J. Spencer Trimingham, Islam in Ethiopia (Oxford: Geoffrey Cumberlege for the University Press, 1952), pp. 65f.