A Silent Patriarch in Australia

The long-awaited “A Silent Patriarch: Kyrillos VI (1902-1971)” has just arrived in Sydney and Melbourne! Please note stocks are limited, and it has already sold out in the US/Canada, and is in its second printing. As such books may run out within the week, so it is advised to get your order in ASAP.

For those in Sydney: it should be available in your local parish bookstores (if not ask them to order copies directly from St Cyril’s Bookstore or the St Yostos Bookshop Committee). The book will also be available to be picked up from from St Cyril’s Bookstore in Carlton for $28 AUD (all orders can be made via mibrahim@stcyrils.edu.au).

For those in Melbourne, it is available via SAC Bookstore (sac.edu.au) as well as Melbourne parishes.

Book Information–“A Silent Patriarch”:

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