[1] Shortly afterward, he was unanimously selected by the bishops and clergy of the Coptic Church to succeed Pope Damian of Alexandria as Patriarch.
One possible reason for this omission is the fact that, as indicated in the History, the influence of the Council of Chalcedon's decisions was very strong at the time, both in Alexandria and in the court of Constantinople.
The Coptic church in Alexandria was understandably troubled by this arrangement, which was instituted under the reign of Tiberius II Constantine, and his local adjutant named Belisarius.
When Anastasius learned of Athanasius's succession there, he wrote him a letter commending him on his wisdom in retracting his predecessor's errors,[1] and urged him to help establish closer relations, and perhaps even unity, between the churches of Alexandria and Antioch.
Upon receiving the letter, Athanasius convened a council of his bishops regarding the proposal, and they decided to send a delegation to Alexandria to see if it would be possible to unite the two churches.
[2] Anastasius spent the remaining years of his patriarchate attending to the affairs of his church, including its now closer relationship with Antioch.