What is the Coptic Orthodox view on the Papacy?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

The Historical Origin of the Title "Pope"

The title "Pope" (derived from the Greek loanword πάππας / pappas, meaning "father") was first used in church history for the Bishop of Alexandria before it was ever used by the Bishop of Rome. The title was first applied to St. Heraclas, the 13th Patriarch of Alexandria (232–248 AD), by his presbyters and flock to express deep filial love and pastoral reverence. Ancient manuscripts and the Divine Liturgy—handed down from the Apostle St. Mark and codified by St. Cyril the Pillar of Faith—designate the Alexandrian patriarch as the "Father of fathers, Shepherd of shepherds." The full historical title of the Alexandrian primate is:

“Pope and Patriarch of the Great City of Alexandria and all the Land of Egypt, the Middle East, Ethiopia, Nubia, and the Pentapolis, and Father of Fathers, Shepherd of Shepherds, and Successor of St. Mark the Evangelist.”

The Orthodox Concept of the Papacy: Conciliarity (Sobornost)

The true Orthodox model of ecclesiology is conciliar, not monarchical:

1. *First Among Equals (Primus Inter Pares):* The Pope of Alexandria holds the highest administrative and patriarchal rank within the See of St. Mark, but sacramentally, he is a bishop. He does not hold a higher sacramental degree of priesthood than any other bishop; all bishops share identically in the fullness of the apostolic grace.
2. The Holy Synod as the Supreme Authority: The supreme governing authority of the Church is not an individual man, but the Holy Synod of Bishops gathered under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Pope presides over the Synod as its head and father, but decisions of faith, canon law, and discipline are reached collegially through synodal consensus, reflecting the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15.
3. Christ Alone as the Head: The only supreme, universal head of the Church is our Lord Jesus Christ. No earthly bishop can claim universal jurisdiction over the whole body of Christ.

Rejection of Roman Catholic Papal Claims

The novel dogmas developed by the Church of Rome regarding the Papacy are deviations from Apostolic and Patristic tradition:

1. Rejection of Universal Papal Jurisdiction

Rome claims that the Bishop of Rome has immediate, ordinary, and absolute supreme jurisdiction over all local churches throughout the world.

• This claim has no basis in the early Church or the Ecumenical Councils (such as Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus).
• Canon 6 of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 AD) explicitly recognized the ancient customs and equal regional patriarchates, confirming that the Bishop of Alexandria had full patriarchal jurisdiction over Egypt, Libya, and the Pentapolis, just as the Bishop of Rome had over the West. Rome was given a primacy of honor among ancient sees, not absolute power or rule over the other apostolic sees.

2. Rejection of Papal Infallibility

The dogma proclaimed at the Roman First Vatican Council (1870)—asserting that the Roman Pontiff possesses personal infallibility when speaking ex cathedra on matters of faith and morals—is flatly rejected:

• No single human being is infallible. Infallibility belongs solely to God, and derivatively to the Church as a whole when led by the Holy Spirit speaking through lawful, holy, and truly Orthodox Ecumenical Councils.
• History demonstrates that bishops of Rome, like bishops of other sees, have fallen into theological error. For example, Pope Honorius I was posthumously condemned as a heretic by the Third Council of Constantinople (680–681 AD) for endorsing the Monothelite heresy, and Pope Liberius signed a compromised semi-Arian formula under pressure.

3. Misinterpretation of the Petrine Ministry

Roman theology claims that Christ appointed St. Peter as the monarchical sovereign of the Church and that this exclusive authority passed solely to the bishops of Rome:

• The Rock: When Christ said, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church" (Matthew 16:18), the early Church Fathers (such as St. John Chrysostom and St. Augustine) affirmed that the "rock" is the orthodox confession of faith in Christ’s divinity that Peter proclaimed ("You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"), not Peter’s fallible human person.
• Apostolic Equality: Christ gave the authority to bind and loose equally to all the Apostles (Matthew 18:18; John 20:21–23), not to Peter alone.
• Apostolic Practice: At the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), it was St. James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, who presided and pronounced the final judgment, not St. Peter. Furthermore, St. Paul openly withstood St. Peter to his face at Antioch because he was in the wrong regarding his conduct with Gentile converts (Galatians 2:11).
• Apostolic Lineage: St. Peter founded and ministered in multiple sees, including Antioch, before ever going to Rome. Moreover, the apostolic succession of all patriarchal sees derives from the Apostles whom Christ sent out. The See of Alexandria was established by the holy Evangelist St. Mark, who was directed by the Holy Spirit to bring the faith to Egypt, sealed by his martyrdom in Alexandria.

Summary

The papacy is understood as a venerable patriarchal and pastoral office of spiritual fatherhood, leadership, and administrative presidency within the framework of conciliar governance. The claims of Roman papal supremacy and infallibility are regarded as unscriptural innovations that fractured the unity of the ancient Church.