He joined the Paromeos Monastery in the Nitrian Desert as a monk and was sent to Greece to study Theology.

Afterwards, Pope Cyril V appointed him a Metropolitan.

Before becoming a Pope, John XIX was the Metropolitan of Al Beheira in Egypt; he is the first ever Bishop/Metropolitan of an Eparchy to become a Pope in the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church; before him the tradition was to nominate a Monk to the Papal position[1] Some argue that the choice of Bishop as Pope (and Bishop) of the City of Alexandria is not canonical (against Canon 15 of Nicea and other Church councils/canons).

[2] This issue has caused an ongoing dispute since 1928 in the Coptic Orthodox Church.

This article about a Coptic Orthodox clergyman is a stub.