Pope Peter III of Alexandria

Petros III. Mongo († 490 ) was a late ancient Patriarch of Alexandria and the first Coptic Pope after the split of the Coptic Church from the Roman imperial church. He is a saint of the Coptic church, but was excommunicated from the Roman Church.

Petros was ordained by Patriarch Dioscorus of Alexandria, a deacon. After the Monophysite Pope Timotheos II Eluros death Petros was chosen by the Monophysite patriarch, while the other potential candidates, the Orthodox Timotheos III. Salophakiolos had retired to a monastery and did not dare to show themselves in public.

Emperor Zeno had Petros as Monophysites of Alexandria distribute and reinstalled Timotheos. After the death of Timotheos 482 Joannes I. Talaia was elected patriarch, but banished at the instigation of the Patriarch Acacius of Constantinople Opel, Zenon. Zenon installed as Patriarch Petros now, after this, had in contrast to Joannes, accepted the Henotikon.

Petros first tried to enforce the Henotikon, but came across massive resistance on the part of influential bishops and Egyptian monks, he condemned as a result the Council of Chalcedon, and replaced in the diptychs Proterius and Timotheos III. Salophakiolos by Dioscorus I. and Timotheos II Eluros. This opinion Petros made ​​a hero of the anti- chalkedonensischen Party and the villain of the chalkedonensischen party. Acacius received a rather evasively worded letter with which he maintained the communion to a request.

Joannes Talaia, had fled to Rome and the Roman Patriarch Pope Simplicius took the side of him. In the following out sharply correspondence to Acacius explained in communion with Petros. Simplicius ' successor Felix II sent two bishops, Vitalis and Misenus to Constantinople Opel and demanded that Petros 'll expelled from Alexandria, and Acacius to Rome come to explain his behavior. By threats and promises the legates were brought to explicitly read the name Peter in the diptychs. When this became known in Rome, Felix convened a synod in the Lateran Basilica, on the Acacius, Petros and the legates were excommunicated.

Supported by the Emperor, Acacius ignored the excommunications and removed his hand, the name of Felix from the diptychs and remained with Petros in communion.