Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria

Petros VII (September 3, 1949 – September 11, 2004) was the Greek Orthodox Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa from 1997 to 2004. During his reign, Petros VII was credited with reviving the Greek Orthodox churches in Africa by increasing the churches' attendance of about 250,000 people.

Petros was born Petros Papapetrou in Sichari, Kyrenia District, Cyprus on September 3, 1949. He was the oldest son of a Greek Orthodox family and both his father and grandfather were priests.

At the age of 12, Petros enrolled at the Machairas Monastery. Then at 17, Petros entered the Apostle Barnbas Seminary in Nicosia. He graduated from Barnbas Seminary in 1969 and was ordained as a deacon at the Machairas Monastery.

A year later, Petros was summoned by Patriarch Nicholas VI to Alexandria. He served as a deacon under Nicholas VI while studying at the Averof High Schools. Later on, in 1974, Petros received a scholarship from the Greek Foreign Ministry to attend the School of Theology at Athens University.

Upon graduating from Athens University in 1978, Petros was ordained as a priest by Bishop Chrysostomos of Dodonis and left for Cairo, where he was given the title of Patriarchal Vicar. Later, in 1983, Petros was promoted to Bishop of Babylon. Throughout his career, Petros took on multiple posts throughout Africa, ranging from Johannesburg, Accra, Cameroon and Central East Africa. While in Africa, Petros focused on restoring monasteries, such as the Monastery of St. Sawas in Alexandria, and extending his missionary work in East Africa.

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