Title of Pope ??

[John89]

I asked a guy this question i the eastern christianity forum

hi my friend is coptic orthodox, and he said they dont believe any of the apostles had authority over one an other,and that they were all the same, if this is true, then why do the coptic orthodox people have their own pope ?

and this is the reply i got

The Patriarch of Alexandria was given the title Pope by the acclamation of the important of the Patriarchs of Alexandria in the Faith. It is only one of reverence, not of authority, and both the Greek and Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria have it but NOT the patriarchs the Rome set up for Alexandria, neither Coptic, Melkite/Greek or Latin (since abolished).
Btw, the Pope of Alexandria had the title before the Pope of Rome

i dont really understand it, could someone explain it to me, and did the pope of alexandria really have authority first ?

 

[Genesis315]

i dont really understand it, could someone explain it to me, and did the pope of alexandria really have authority first ?

Didn’t the person just claim that the Popes of Alexandria don’t have special authority. That was the whole point of what the person said.

Pope is just an affectionate term meaning papa. Over time it has been restriced to the Roman Pontiff in the Catholic Church, but there’s nothing inherent in the title that has anything to do with authority. The Bishop of Rome is the head of the college of bishops not because he has a special title, but in virtue of his being the successor of St. Peter.

Of course the Copts are going to claim the Bishop of Rome doesn’t have chief authority–just like a Protestant will. They have to justify their schism and their rejection of the Tome of St. Leo the Great and the Declarations of the Council of Chalcedon.