John VIII ibn Qiddis (died 29 May 1320) was the 80th

pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church The Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ, translit=Papa; ar, البابا, translit=al-Bābā), also known as the Bishop of Alexandria, is the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, with ancient Christian roots in Egypt. The ...

from 14 February 1300 until his death.Youhanna Youssef, ''The Interpretations of the Theotokias by the Patriarch John ibn Qiddis'' (Gorgias Press, 2020), p. 2. Pope John VIII was born in Meniat Bani-Khosaim. His real name was Yohanna Ben-Ebsal, but he was known as El Mo'ataman Ebn El-Kedees. He became

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

at the Monastery of Shahran and was ordained Pope on 19 ''

Meshir Meshir ( cop, Ⲙⲉϣⲓⲣ), also known as Mechir ( grc-gre, Μεχίρ, ''Mekhír'') and Amshir. ( arz, أمشير ), is the sixth month of the ancient Egyptian and Coptic calendars. It lies between February 8 and March 9 of the Gregorian calen ...

'' 1016 AM (14 February 1300 AD).''Christianity and Monasticism in Northern Egypt'', (Gawdat Gabra, Hany N. Takla, tr.) Oxford University Press, 2017
p. 76 During the papacy of John VIII, severe tribulations befell the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and heavy taxes were imposed. An official from Morocco was displeased to find the Copts so active in the financial sector. Many churches were closed in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

and in different parts of the country. Exceptions were the monasteries in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

and a few churches in other cities. An envoy from the king of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

came to intercede on behalf of the Christians. Two churches were subsequently opened, one of them was the

Coptic Orthodox The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

church of the Church of the Virgin Mary (Haret Zuweila), and the other was the Melkite church of Saint Nicholas in El-Hamzawe. Pope John VIII was a contemporary of Saint Parsoma, and presided over his funeral. He was the last to reside in the church of

Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo Saint Mercurius Church () in Coptic Cairo is a Coptic Orthodox church situated just to the north of the Babylon Fortress in Old Cairo among a group of important churches, and within the area known as the Abu Sayfayn Cloister is to be found three ...

. 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 a severe earthquake caused great destruction in Syria and Egypt. Ebn Kabre indicated that Pope John VIII had made some changes in the Liturgy. He died on 4 Paoni 1036 A.M. (29 May 1320 AD) after 20 years, 3 months, and 15 days on the Patriarchal Throne.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:John 08 Of Alexandria, Pope Year of birth missing 1320 deaths Coptic Orthodox saints 14th-century Christian saints 14th-century Coptic Orthodox popes of Alexandria