Coptic Catholic Church
Coptic Catholic Church: a Church sui iuris of the Alexandrian tradition. Status, head, countries, liturgical books, history, sources, and public-domain texts.
- Tradition (CCEO can. 28 §2)
- Alexandrian tradition (Source: CCEO, vatican.va ↗)
- Catechism (CCC 1203)
- Alexandrian or Coptic (Source: Catechism, vatican.va ↗)
- Canonical status
- Patriarchal Church sui iuris (Source: GCatholic ↗)
- Head
- Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak (as listed by GCatholic on 21 October 2026) (Source: GCatholic ↗)
- Historical centre
- Alexandria (historical centre of the Alexandrian tradition) (Source: Wikidata ↗)
- Present see
- Cairo (patriarchal residence) (Source: Wikidata ↗)
- Liturgical books
- Unverified Coptic/Ge'ez books (Anaphoras of St Basil, St Gregory, St Cyril/Mark in Coptic use; Ethiopic anaphoras in Ge'ez use); current editions not verified. (Source: Catholic Encyclopedia ↗)
- Own jurisdiction in
- Egypt (1) (Source: GCatholic ↗) As listed on 21 October 2026.
- Approximate historical heartland
- Egypt, esp. Upper Egypt (Egypt) (Source: CNEWA ↗)
Where it has its own jurisdiction
Showing the Coptic Catholic Church, present jurisdictions: 1 country.
Countries where the Coptic Catholic Church has its own jurisdiction: 1 country.
Countries with the Church's own jurisdiction; faithful elsewhere are served by local ordinaries.
Countries shaded (1)
- Egypt
Source: GCatholic ↗, as listed on 21 October 2026.
Borders are illustrative (Natural Earth, de facto lines) and imply no position. Shading shows where a Church has its own jurisdiction, not where all its faithful live. Made with Natural Earth ↗ (public domain). Sources and method.
History
- 4 February 1442 Cantate Domino signed at the Council of Florence (no lasting result) (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- 1741 Anba Athanasius made Vicar Apostolic for Coptic Catholics (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- 1824 Patriarchate erected on paper only (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- 1895 to 1899 Patriarchate re-established (1895); Cyril Makarios appointed Patriarch (1899) (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- 1908 to 1947 Patriarchal office vacant (Source: CNEWA ↗)
Dates are given as ranges or centuries where the sources give no single date.
Texts and resources
Every resource is an outside link; nothing here is hosted by Bibliotheca Catholica. What the badges mean.
- Liturgies Eastern and Western, vol. I (Brightman, 1896): Egyptian rites ↗ Rights: Public domain (US)
1896 - The Liturgies of SS. Mark, James, Clement, Chrysostom and Basil (Neale and Littledale, 1870s) ↗ Rights: Public domain (US)
19th-century publication - Catholic Encyclopedia: 'Church of Alexandria' ↗ Rights: Public domain (US)
1907 to 1912
In the library
- Cyril of Alexandria Father of the Alexandrian tradition
- Basil the Great The Anaphora of Saint Basil is also used in the Coptic tradition
Main sources: CNEWA ↗. Checked 2026-10-26. Sources and method.