He studied philosophy and theology at St. Leo's Patriarchal Seminary in Maadi (a suburb of Cairo) and was ordained a priest in 1980.

He was sent to Rome to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University and received his doctorate in dogmatic theology.

For a short period in 2002 he served as the parish priest of the patriarchal Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt in Cairo.

[1] Sidrak was elected as Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria on 15 January 2013, succeeding Antonios I Naguib, who had resigned because of poor health.

Sidrak asked for and received ecclesiastical communion from Pope Benedict XVI three days later, on 18 January 2013.