Sir Gere :
During this trip, Pope Kyrillos also visited Asmara, Eritrea, where he attended St Mary’s Orthodox Church. During his sermon, His Holiness noticed my great-great-uncle, a humble monk, sitting quietly at the very back since the front rows were reserved for royal dignitaries.
To everyone’s surprise, Pope Kyrillos suddenly paused his sermon and called my uncle to come forward. My uncle was stunned and hesitant, unsure how to make his way past the nobles to stand before such an audience. Then His Holiness told the congregation how, years earlier in Egypt, my uncle had been a great support to him , bringing food and water on a donkey to the desert windmill where Pope Kyrillos lived in solitude among wild animals. He praised my uncle’s bravery and devotion, recalling how he never feared the dangers of the desert and how those visits were filled with blessings.
The congregation was deeply moved, while my uncle, overwhelmed and shy before the king and the gathered dignitaries, could hardly speak. It was a moment that showed the deep humility of Pope Kyrillos; how he never forgot the kindness of a poor monk and chose to honour him publicly before a great crowd. My uncle lived to be over a hundred years old and now rests at the Monastery of El Moharraq. Many who knew him in Egypt speak of the miracles associated with his blessed life. I was fortunate enough to take his blessings shortly before he departed to the Lord during one of visit to Egypt.
2025-11-07 03:02:16