Pope Yousab II proved to be a weak and indecisive patriarch. During his reign, there were numerous power struggles within the church and corruption became widespread. Yousab's valet and secretary, Malik, acted as an intermediary between the Pope and the rest of the Church, and gradually assumed much of the Pope's power. According to various reports, Malik charged large sums of money for an audience with the Pope and sold at least sixteen of the nineteen episcopal appointments made during Yousab II's reign. Accusations of corruption and simony against Yousab II became common in the Egyptian press during this time, stirring up discontent among the Coptic laity.