His predecessor, Pope John VI of Alexandria, the 74th Pope of Alexandria, died in 1216 in grief over the conversion of the entire population of Pentapolis in Eastern Libya from Christianity to Islam, even though he had ordained a bishop for Pentapolis (the five western cities) after a long period where there was no bishop for this area (in hopes of strengthing the church there). John VI came from a rich family before his ordination, but he lived a simple life and used his family wealth to pay for his expenses and for the expenses of the Patriarchate and those of his aids. He did not want to burden the church or its people with his expenses, but he lived all his days supporting himself and his companions, and he gave charity to the poor of his own money and refused to answer the demands of the Church leaders in Alexandria for payments out of the church coffers (as was the custom before him). Thus, in his time, sufficient money accumulated in the Church coffers. This attracted the attention of a powerful monk and a priest named David (Dawoud) of Fayyum ibn Laqlaq (داود بن لقلق - داود الفيومي) who desired to seize this money. John VI was patriarch for 27 years AD. This simple pope had predicted before his departure that "pain would befall the church and its people and the Lord would establish a man who would come from where they did not know". John VI died unhappy about the state of affairs of the Church and wary of the plans of Dawoud ibn Laqlaq.