Gabriel VI

              (CE:1133a-1133b)
GABRIEL VI, ninety-first patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (1466- 1475). Gabriel was born at al-‘Arabah al-Madfunah and consequently was called al-‘Arabawi. He was surnamed Ibn Qatta‘ al-‘Usfur. He became a monk in the DAYR ANBA ANTUNIYUS and later was its superior. After MATTHEW II died Gabriel was chosen to be the pope of Alexandria on 9 February 1466. He then settled himself at the Church of Our Lady at HARIT ZUWAYLAH in Cairo, which had been the patriarchal seat from the reign of JOHN IX (1320) until about 1670.

Little is known of his life. He died on 15 December 1475 and was buried at DAYR AL-KHANDAQ, in the Church of ANBA RUWAYS in Cairo. According to O. Meinardus (1965), he was one of four patriarchs buried in that church (cf. Kamil, 1943, 1954).

No work by him is mentioned by G. Graf. However, one must consider two manuscripts in the library of the Coptic patriarchate of Cairo. These record canonical answers on marriage and the service of the altar to questions asked by various people, probably bishops. The questions were "collected in the cell of the patriarch Ghubriyal
al-Farbawi" (Graf, 1934). This last name should no doubt be read al- ‘Arabawi. The two Cairene manuscripts are: Theology 294 (Egypt, eighteenth century), fols. 50b-86b (Simaykah, 1942, no. 541/1; Graf, 1934, no. 439/10); Theology 295, dated 22 Abib A.M. 1549 16/27 July A.D. 1743, approximately fols. 54-90 (Simaykah, 1942, no.
394/1; Graf, 1934, no. 443/1).

These canonical answers are mentioned by Graf (1951, Vol. 4) but are mistakenly attributed to Gabriel VII (1525-1568) by Murqus Simaykah and Yassa ‘Abd al-Masih.
KHALIL SAMIR, S.J.