Hi.
The pope is dead; long live the pope!
We see the pope as a Vatican papal institution and don’t realise that there is an even older order of popes, the Eastern Coptic (aka Copts) Orthodox Church, of the See of Mark, Alexandria, Egypt. Who have a more spiritual and more venerable history than the popes of Rome? Who slaughtered and counterfeited their way through history to authenticate their so-called holy order? While the Copts have been seen as more placid after a more tumultuous beginning than their Roman counterparts. And saw no need to forge their authenticity owing to their apostolic regard for being the See of Mark. Two centuries or more before Rome took Peter to be its apostolic see, and nearly four centuries after Pope Heraclas (232-248 CE) of Alexandria, Rome had its first pope, Boniface III (607 CE).
Rome has come a long way; compared to the more humanitarian Copts, Rome had centuries of burning heretics at the stake and their so-called holy crusades. While the Copts were being persecuted, first by the Romans and then by their Muslim overlords, who heavily taxed them when not persecuting. Nepotism was unheard of in the Coptic priestly circles, nor did their popes have sexual vices, take wives, or have incestuous relationships. (Although Coptic priests can marry, they must do so before their ordination. In contrast, bishops in the Coptic Orthodox Church must be celibate and cannot marry. This distinction between priests and bishops is also observed in other Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches.)
In Rome, nepotism, simony, and adultery were rife, and sexual orgies were the shocking trade of the papacy. Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503) bribed his way into office and was known for his corrupt practices and scandalous personal life; he took multiple mistresses and had numerous illegitimate children. He was also known for nepotism, simony, and having an incestuous relationship with his daughter, Lucretia. There were several other adulterous popes, such as Pope John XII (955-64 CE), who became pope at the age of eighteen. There were popes that sold or bought their pontificate, popes elected by women, by monarchs, and by influential families. With the apostolic succession having nothing to do with who became Peter’s successor!
The Coptic on the succession had only nineteen years (between 1216 and 1235) and then another seven years (between 1243 and 1250) without a pope, owing to Muslim persecution.
What do you say about part or all of this OP?
Cofion
R&I ~ MJM
Jero Jones
Article URL : https://breakingnewsandreligion.online/discuss/