Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria
Pope Tawadros II | |
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Major shrine | Saint. Mina Monastery, Alexandria, Egypt |
Feast | 30 Meshir (Coptic) 9 March (Gregorian) |
Patronage | Alexandria |
Pope Saint Cyril (Kyrillos) VI | |
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Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Azbakeya)
1968-1971 Anno Martyrum (Julian: 7 June) (Gregorian: 20 June 2013) |
Papal styles of Pope Cyril VI | |
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His Holiness | |
Spoken style | Your Holiness |
Religious style | Pope (disambiguation) and Patriarch |
Posthumous style | Saint |
Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria also called Abba Kyrillos VI,
Early life
Pope Cyril VI was born as Azer Youssef Atta in
After helping to resolve a conflict between the abbot of El Baramous monastery and some of its elder monks, he requested from Pope John XIX of Alexandria to live in one of the windmills built in Old Cairo during the reign of Muhammad Ali of Egypt. He spent the start of his time in the windmill with no doors or a roof out of love for solitude. He was then pressured by the priests and an "Archon" (lay-leader) of a nearby church to renovate the windmill in order to be a more suitable environment to live. The ground floor served as a place for Fr Mina to live and the upper level he placed a sanctuary with an altar to pray daily liturgies in. He stayed in the windmill for some time before his relocation to the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor. After his death, a church was built around the windmill.
In 1944 he was nominated to become the abbot of the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor and played a vital role in building a centre for the monastery in El Zawra, renovating the ancient churches of the monastery and building new monk cells.
In 1947 (1663-1664), Father Mina built the Church of
Coptic Pope
Father Mina became
During his enthronement ceremony, he addressed the people of the Coptic Church with the following words:
But as for you, I hope to open my heart to you, that you might perceive the deep love for all therein; this is the love that emanates from the heart of our Saviour who loved us and redeemed us with His Blood. And so, I beseech all of you to persist in raising prayers for the safety of the Church and for my weakness, and for all the labouring servants.[3]
In November 1959 he laid the foundation stone of the new Monastery of Saint Mina in the Desert of Mariout.
Cyril's papacy also marked the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun, Egypt (starting on 2 April 1968/24 [Paremhat 1684]).
The
In June 1968 (Pashons–Paoni 1684), Pope Cyril received the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist and Apostle, which had been taken from Alexandria to Venice over eleven centuries earlier. The relics were interred beneath the newly completed cathedral.
Pope Cyril died on 9 March 1971 (30 Meshir 1687), after a short illness. His funeral was held in the
Inter-Church relations
Pope Cyril VI elevated the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church to the title of Patriarch-Catholicos. Abuna Basilios, who was the first Ethiopian to be appointed Archbishop of Ethiopia by Pope Joseph II, became Ethiopia's first Patriarch. Pope Cyril VI was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Star of Solomon by Emperor Haile Selassie in gratitude.
In January 1965 (Koiak–Tobi 1681), Pope Cyril VI presided over the Committee of
See also
- List of Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria
- List of Copts
- List of Egyptians
- Battle of Anchem
Further reading
- Daniel Fanous, A Silent Patriarch: Kyrillos VI (1902–1971) Life and Legacy, St Vladimir's Seminary Press, Yonkers, New York, 2019, pp. 418.
References
- ^ St Mary Mons Archived 24 March 2002 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ History of the Coptic Church, Iris Habib Elmasry Volume five.
- ^ Kyrillos VI, "Papal Pastoral Letter of Anba Kyrillos" [Al-Risāla al-rā‛wiyya al-bābawiyya lil-anba Kīrillos], Sunday School Magazine 13, no. 4/5 (April/May 1959): 9–11. Translated by Samuel Kaldas and Ramza Bassilious. In Archive of Contemporary Coptic Orthodox Theology, Sydney, NSW: St Cyril's Coptic Orthodox Theological College. https://accot.stcyrils.edu.au/pk6firstpapalmessage/.
- ^ Michael Collins Dunn (30 June 2013). "Coptic Church's Synod Recognizes Two Modern Saints". Middle East Journal, Editor's Blog.
External links
- Pope Kyrillos VI | Archive of Contemporary Coptic Orthodox Theology, translated works, primary sources
- Pope Saint Kyrillos VI