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| Three Africans have occupied the papacy of the ]. | Three Africans have occupied the papacy of the ]. | ||
| According to the records of the '']'', all three were from the ] Province of ] |
According to the records of the '']'', all three were from the ] Province of ] (corresponding to the territory of modern ] and ]). Their skin color is unknown, although, as Mediterranean North Africans, it is not likely they were "]" in the sense that most modern English-speakers understand the term. The loss of ] ] to ] during the 7th century largely eliminated the chance for another African pope until modern times. | ||
| *] (] to ]) | *] (] to ]) | ||
Revision as of 23:02, 21 October 2005
An African pope is a pope of African origin, birth, or heritage.
Roman Catholic Church
Three Africans have occupied the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to the records of the Liber Pontificalis, all three were from the Roman Province of Africa (corresponding to the territory of modern Tunisia and Libya). Their skin color is unknown, although, as Mediterranean North Africans, it is not likely they were "black" in the sense that most modern English-speakers understand the term. The loss of Byzantine North Africa to Islam during the 7th century largely eliminated the chance for another African pope until modern times.
- Pope Victor I (189 to 199)
- Pope Miltiades (310/311 to 314)
- Pope Gelasius I (492 to 496)
Other churches
The Eastern Orthodox Church has a patriarch whose formal title is the Patriarch and Pope of Alexandria and All Africa. In addition, the head of the Coptic Church is traditionally styled the Coptic Pope and is also based in Alexandria, Egypt. Many of the incumbents of these two offices could, in a strict sense, be considered "African popes".