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Revision as of 23:04, 30 January 2006 by Jugbo (talk | contribs) (fixed misspell)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)An African pope would presumably be a pope of African birth, or heritage.
Bishops of Rome
Three Africans are known to have occupied the See of Rome.
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). The conquest of Byzantine North Africa by Islam during the 7th century largely eliminated the chance for another African pope until modern times. Being not only from North Africa (where only a small minority of Negroid/"Black people", mostly of the lower classes, can be found), but also of the Roman populace situated there, they were all of the Caucasoid race, and probably Roman in ethnicity.
- Pope Victor I (189 to 199)
- Pope Miltiades (310/311 to 314)
- Pope Gelasius I (492 to 496)
Other Sees
The Greek 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. The incumbents of these two offices could in some sense be considered "African popes".
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