Pope Matthew III of Alexandria was the 100th Coptic

Coptic Christianity

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the official name for the largest Christian church in Egypt and the Middle East. The Church belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family of churches, which has been a distinct church body since the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, when it took a different...

 Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark

Patriarch of Alexandria

The Patriarch of Alexandria is the Archbishop of Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation of Pope , and did so earlier than that of the Bishop of Rome...

 (1631–1645). His papacy was during the time when Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire ( which lasted from 1517-1922). Egypt in that time was ruled by consecutive short term (2-3 years each) representatives of the Sultan and the church was under a lot of pressure from the rulers.

The seat of the Pope

Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria

The Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria is historically based in Alexandria, Egypt. It is commonly known as the Holy See of St. Mark, as the Coptic Pope is the successor of St. Mark....

 during his papacy remained in the Church of the Virgin Mary (Haret Zuweila) in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

.