The '''Church of Alexandria''' is one of the [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] [[Orthodox Church]]es. Its [[primate]] is the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, the successor to the [[Apostle Mark|Apostle Mark the Evangelist]], who founded the Church of Alexandria in the 1st century. It is one of the five ancient [[patriarchate]]s of the early [[Church]], called the ''[[Pentarchy]]''.

== History ==

Since the [[schism]] occurring as a result of the political and [[Christology|Christological]] controversies at the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Council of Chalcedon]] (451 A.D.), the portion of the Church of Alexandria loyal to Chalcedonian Christology has liturgically been Greek-speaking, the majority of its native (i.e., Coptic) population and their modern descendents becoming a part of the '''[[Church of Alexandria (Coptic)|Coptic Orthodox Church]]''' (i.e., [[Oriental Orthodox|non-Chalcedonian]]).

== The Church Today ==

In recent years, a considerable missionary effort was enacted by Pope [[Petros VII (Papapetrou) of Alexandria|Petros VII]]. During his seven years as patriarch (1997-2004), he worked tirelessly to spread the Orthodox Christian [[faith]] in Arab nations and throughout Africa, raising up native [[clergy]] and encouraging the use of local languages in the liturgical life of the Church. Missions spread and thrived in Kenya, Uganda, Madagascar, Cameroon, and elsewhere across the African continent.

Today, some 300,000 Orthodox Christians comprise the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the highest number since the [[Roman Empire]]. The current primate of the Church of Alexandria is His Beatitude [[Theodoros II (Choreftakis) of Alexandria|Theodoros II]], Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa.

== See also ==

*[[Orthodoxy in Africa]]

== External Links ==

*[http://www.greekorthodox-alexandria.org/ The Patriarchate of Alexandria] (Official site)

*[http://www.greece.org/gopatalex/SA/ Archbishopric of Johannesburg and Pretoria]

[[Category:Jurisdictions]]