Abuna Sawiros (Severus) was an '' Abuna'', or head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the 11th century. During this period the ''Abun'' was appointed by the

Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa The Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ, translit=Papa; ar, البابا, translit=al-Bābā), also known as the Bishop of Alexandria, is the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, with ancient Christian roots in Egypt. Th ...

, who had diocesan authority over

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, at the request of the Emperor of Ethiopia, usually after paying a substantial fee to the Muslim government for the privilege. Pope Cyril II intended to appoint one candidate, but

Badr al-Jamali Abū'l-Najm Badr ibn ʿAbdallāh al-Jamālī al-Mustanṣirī, better known as Badr al-Jamali ( ar, بدر الجمالى) was an Armenian Shia Muslim Fatimid vizier, and prominent statesman for the Fatimid Caliphate under Caliph al-Mustansir. H ...

, the

Vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called '' katib'' (secretary), who was ...

Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

Al-Mustansir, forced him to ordain Sawiros instead. Although at first warmly welcomed when he reached Ethiopia, the Caliph's candidate began to openly favor Islam in that Christian country by building seven mosques, ostensibly for the use of Muslim traders. This led to a general uproar in Ethiopia. Sawiros justified his acts by saying a refusal to build these mosques would result in a persecution in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

; nevertheless, the Abuna was imprisoned, the seven mosques destroyed, and restrictions placed on the Muslim traders. Reciprocal acts followed in Egypt, leading to a rupture in the relations between the two countries.J. Spencer Trimingham, ''Islam in Ethiopia ''(Oxford: Geoffrey Cumberlege for the University Press, 1952), pp. 65f.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawiros Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Archbishops of Ethiopia 11th-century Ethiopian people 11th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops