1902 - 1971
116th Coptic patriarch of Egypt, 1959 - 1971.
Cyril became pope of the Coptic church amid a long and bitter controversy between the Holy Synod of bishops and the Coptic Community Council, which consisted of laypersons. At issue was the appropriate field of candidates for the office. Until the twentieth century, the patriarch had been chosen from the monks. Beginning with the tenure (1927 - 1942) of John XIX, however, the selection had shifted to provincial bishops. Yusab (Joseph) II, bishop of Girga in southern Egypt, served as acting patriarch from 1942 to 1944. After the brief tenure of another bishop, Makarius III, as pope (1944 - 1945), Yusab II was elected to the office and served from 1946 to 1956. Following his death, Athanasius, bishop of Buni Suwayf, became acting pope from 1956 to 1957. Because all four pontiffs had undistinguished and even disastrous (in the case of Yusab II) terms of office, both the government of Gamal Abdel Nasser and the populace generally favored a monk. In a confusing inversion of preference, however, the assembly of bishops favored a monk and the community council sought a monk. So divided was the church over the selection of a new pontiff that the government temporarily suspended the papal election in 1957. The choice of Cyril, a monk from Baramus in the Nile delta, represented a victory for the Nasser regime and the laity.
Cyril's name, adopted at the time of the papal election, honored several illustrious predecessors, particularly Cyril I (patriarch 412 - 444), a preeminent early Alexandrian theologian widely regarded as one of the fathers of the Coptic church. The true first name of Cyril VI was Mina. As a monk, he had enjoyed wide renown as an ascetic and a mystic. For many years he had sought unsuccessfully to rebuild the ancient monastery of his namesake, St. Menas (Mina), near Alexandria and lost no time as patriarch in realizing this project. At his behest, more than forty other churches and monasteries were excavated, restored, or built anew. These endeavors attracted criticism as well as praise. To many, Cyril was aloof, more interested in antiquarian and monastic concerns than with either the country's or the church's pressing needs. This complaint was repeated throughout Cyril's administration. Nonetheless, even Cyril's detractors admired his piety, which had been honed through his years as a monk.
Cyril's efforts at reform met with some success. He sought closer relations with the other Christian churches of the Near East. Coptic missionary activity flourished in many parts of Africa, and numerous African divinity students received scholarships to study at the Coptic Theological College and the Institute of Coptic Studies in Cairo. Of all African countries outside Egypt, Cyril was especially interested in Ethiopia because its primary Christian church had for centuries been under the jurisdiction of the Coptic patriarch and, in more recent years, had demanded autonomy. One of Cyril's first acts as patriarch was to convene a council that addressed the Ethiopians' demands. The historic accord of 1959 remains the foundation upon which the relations between the Coptic and Ethiopic orthodox churches are grounded. Although the Coptic pontiff retained his position as head of the Ethiopic church, the Ethiopians could henceforth participate in papal elections. Furthermore, the Ethiopians could now elect their own leader. Heretofore, the Ethiopians had had a metropolitan or archbishop but no patriarch. The new patriarch or abuna of the Ethiopian church was to be an Ethiopian, not an Egyptian. The abuna could consecrate his own clergy. Ethiopians could participate in all synods convened by the Coptic pope. Several other important privileges were granted to the Ethiopians.
In other areas, Cyril's achievements were more limited. In 1960, the government placed the handling of waqf property (endowments given to the church) under a special committee composed of Copts. This move was hailed by some as an efficient administrative reform because the high clergy and the Coptic Community Council had clashed for decades over the handling of the waqfs, and it was condemned by others because the action took away much responsibility from both the clergy and the community council. The latter was left with responsibility for little more than administration of the Coptic centers for theological education and for building various projects.
Cyril's struggle to alleviate the discrimination toward and persecution of Copts tolerated by the Islamic regime was similarly inspired but fruitless. Believing that close cooperation with the Islamic government would foster better relations between Muslims and Copts, Cyril joined with Muslim leaders in denouncing Israel on several occasions. Furthermore, through wider participation in international religious conferences and meeting with leaders of other churches, Cyril reckoned that oppression of the Copts would abate if the rest of the world were watching. Although the plight of the Copts is now more widely recognized, unfortunately it has not improved.
Bibliography
Atiya, Aziz S. A History of Eastern Christianity, revised edition. Millwood, NY: Kraus Reprint, 1980.
Meinardus, Otto F. A. Christian Egypt: Faith and Life. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 1970.
Wakin, Edward. A Lonely Minority: The Modern Story of Egypt'sCopts. New York: Morrow, 1963.
— DONALD SPANEL
