SPSA Church Giving (opens in a new tab)

Questions & Answers

Constantine

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › St. Mary and the Saints › Constantine

The question

Why does the Coptic Orthodox church consider Constantine the Great a saint mentioning his name in the Synaxarium; when he had helped Arius against Pope Alexander, according to late father Mansy Yohanna's book about the church history?

The answer


Although it is true that Constantine, at one point, sided with Arius and ordered his return from exile; we celebrate Constantine the Great for his great role in ending the persecution of the Christians and promoting Christianity. Constantine made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire (Edict of Milan, early in 313).

When the controversy between Pope Alexander and Arius regarding the nature of Christ arose, Constantine wrote a letter to both of them hoping to bring about  reconciliation. When that failed, he was the one who convened the first ecumenical council in Nicea in 325.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 1125 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.