Kyrillos VI: A Silent Patriarch

St Cyril’s is proud to announce that SVS Press in New York has just released the long-awaited A Silent Patriarch: Kyrillos VI (1902-1971) by our Dean, Fr Daniel Fanous.

This is the first scholarly biography of the desert hermit who became a most unlikely patriarch. Until now the details of his life have remained hidden. As patriarch, Kyrillos inherited a bleeding church, one confronted by political Islamism, an indifferent Muslim president, and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood. Silent in the face of persecution, mockery, and criticism, Kyrillos stood at the head of a nearly impossible spiritual revolution. But by the time he reposed, everything had changed.

In this lucid biography, Daniel Fanous traces Kyrillos’ life from childhood, drawing upon hundreds of letters and sources never before seen, detailing Kyrillos’ unusual method of ecclesial reform, which speaks enduringly to the uncertainties of the present age. This is the story of Kyrillos VI, a most unlikely patriarch, a silent urban recluse.

“Kyrillos VI . . . is a figure of great spiritual stature who was immersed in the depths of monastic life and in a life of unceasing prayer. . . . I commend Rev. Dr Daniel Fanous for this important study, which I consider a scholarly and outstanding addition to the history of our Coptic Orthodox Church.”

—POPE TAWADROS II

How to Buy:
For those in North America A Silent Patriarch has officially been released and is available from St Vladimir’s Seminary Press and soon on Amazon. For those in Australia there is a bulk shipment arriving in Sydney and Melbourne in 4–6 weeks, which will make the book available at a very reasonable price. It will be available from most parish bookstores, as well as St Cyril’s bookstore in Sydney, and St Athanasius bookstore in Melbourne.