By: Fr Tadros Malaty
Pope Cyril VI set the Coptic Church ablaze like a torch in the midst of a world that was cold and dark. Under his blessed leadership, the Church became a true source of warmth and light to the world.
Look closely at the three attached pictures—one from Vespers, another from the Midnight Praises, and the third from the Liturgy. Observe the faces of those gathered around him, young and old alike!
Such a sight had perhaps been unknown in the Coptic Church for centuries—until Pope Cyril came. The pope of vigil, praise, and incense. A man who stood before the altar and the lectern, offering the sacrifice of praise and the Eucharist. He realigned the Church’s compass toward the Kingdom of God with unwavering clarity of vision and purpose, free from distraction or confusion.
He was like an irresistible magnet, drawing the hearts, eyes, and souls of the people toward the mystery of God’s presence in the Church. His daily attendance at church, his deep immersion in the love of the Church’s liturgies, and his true and spiritual practice of them adorned him with the majesty of Orthodox piety—its beauty, its enlightenment, and its heavenly reverence. A divine awe rested upon him, and his face radiated the mystery of God. His expression, both solemn and profoundly tender, spoke volumes. Even after his departure, his eyes—whether in life or through the icons that now fill our homes—continue to inspire repentance and prayer without uttering a single word of rebuke or preaching.
With each anniversary of his passing, we stand in awe of this giant and long to be like him. Yet, we hesitate to take even the first step on his path—the path of surrendering ourselves to the embrace of the Church’s liturgies, where praises, joyful psalms, and the boundless satisfaction of the Eucharist await.
May our service carry even a small portion of the spirit and vision of Pope Cyril VI—a spirituality rooted in the mysterious and ever-renewing grace of God at work within the Church
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