St. John the Merciful
| John the Merciful | |
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Saint John the Merciful. Church of San Giovanni Elemosinario
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| Patriarch of Alexandria | |
| Born | around 552 Amathus, Cyprus |
| Died | 616–620 Cyprus |
John the Merciful (also known as John the Almsgiver, John the Almoner, John V of Alexandria, John Eleymon, San Ġwann t'Għuxa (Maltese) and Johannes Eleemon) (Patron of Casarano, Italy) was the Chalcedonian Patriarch of Alexandria in the early 7th century (from 606 to 616) and a Christian saint.
He was born at Amathus. He was the son of Epiphanius, governor of Cyprus, and was of noble descent; in early life he was married and had children, but his wife and children soon died, and he entered the religious life.
On the death of the Patriarch Theodore, the Alexandrians besought Emperor Phocas to appoint John his successor, which was accordingly done. One of the first steps he took was to make a list of several thousand needy persons, whom he took under his especial care. He always referred to the poor as his "lords and masters", because of their mighty influence at the Court of the Most High. He assisted people of every class who were in need.
He was a reformer who attacked simony, and fought heresy by means of improvements in religious education. He also reorganized the system of weights and measures for the sake of the poor, and put a stop to corruption among the officials. He increased the number of churches in Alexandria from seven to seventy.
The ministry of Vitalis of Gaza, a monk who worked among the prostitutes of the city, was a noteworthy episode of John's reign. The patriarch was considered to have behaved with wisdom for not punishing this monk who was notorious for visiting the seedy part of town, and his judgment was vindicated only after the death of Vitalis when the story of the monk's mission of mercy became known.
In his youth John had had a vision of a beautiful maiden with a garland of olives on her head, who said that she was Compassion, the eldest daughter of the Great King. This had evidently made a deep impression on John's mind, and, now that he had the opportunity of exercising benevolence on a large scale, he soon became widely known all over the East for his liberality towards the poor.
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