The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the most ancient Churches in the world. Founded in the first century in Egypt by Saint Mark the Apostle and writer of the second Gospel of the New Testament. The Church has preserved the Orthodox Christian faith from its earliest form, handing it down from generation to generation, remaining true to the Apostolic doctrines and patterns of worship.
The word ‘Copt’ is derived from the Pharaonic word ‘gypt’ and the subsequent Greek word ‘Aigyptus’ meaning ‘Egypt’. Copts are the Christian and indigenous people of Egypt, direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians, a people with perhaps the longest recorded history.
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II is the 118th and current Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.