Samuel served as Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria in 1710–1712 and in 1714–1723. Pope

Clement XI Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI w ...

sent the Franciscan Lorenzo Cozza (later Cardinal) to Samuel in 1703 with the hope that the Patriarch might conclude union with Rome. He in fact signed a declaration of his renunciation of Orthodoxy, and his embrace of Catholicism ten years later was conveyed to the Pope in consistory on 28 April 1713. Samuel was immediately attacked by his former co-religionists, leading Clement XI to try to enlist the protection of European leaders for the Patriarch, including that of

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

, the

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the fir ...

. Documents indicate, however, that the Roman church's grip on Samuel was more tenuous than Clement XI had hoped: he was the subject of a call to fidelity to the Roman church and the Propaganda declined to send financial subventions to the Egyptian churches until the union had been completely effected.Ludwig von Pastor, 'History of the Popes' Volume 33, pp. 378–379

References

* , - 18th-century Greek Patriarchs of Alexandria 18th-century Egyptian people Converts to Roman Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy {{EasternOrthodoxy-bishop-stub