His Holiness Pope Shenouda III was the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. His Holiness’ Papacy is marked by the growth of the Coptic Orthodox Church outside of Egypt. To address the needs of these churches, His Holiness felt the urgency to establish dioceses abroad. Therefore, in 1991 His Holiness established the first Coptic Orthodox Diocese in the United Kingdom and diaspora – the Diocese of Birmingham, later known as the Diocese of the Midlands. H.H. Pope Shenouda III appointed His Grace Bishop Missael (previously a General Bishop) to be enthroned as the first Bishop of the Diocese.
The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Midlands is composed of the following regions:
- Cheshire
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Gloucestershire
- Greater Manchester
- Herefordshire
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Northamptonshire
- North Wales
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Staffordshire
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands
- Worcestershire
