Pope Shenouda: Wisdom, Warmth, and a Side of Breadsticks

One article will never do Pope Shenouda  justice, but I will try my best to tell you about him. I personally love Pope Shenouda because he was the one who taught me spirituality. His book Diabolical Wars was the first ever book I read, and the first sermon I chose to listen to was also by him. The thing I love most about him is how he never forgot that he was a monk—whether as the Bishop of Education or even as the Pope. He always used to say, “Before I lived in monasticism, monasticism always lived in me.” Even in the midst of all his duties, he spent three days a week in his monastery cell. He had the perfect balance. He knew that if he didn’t care for his own salvation and prioritize it, everything else would fall apart. He didn’t care about money or material things.

Amr Adeeb, a famous Egyptian television presenter, was shocked to learn in an interview that Pope Shenouda never had a salary or even carried pocket money. Fr. Mauritius St. Pishoy, his personal secretary, once told a story that sums up Pope Shenouda's attitude toward money. A wealthy businessman from the Middle East gave Pope Shenouda. a check for $200,000 as a donation. Pope Shenouda took it, placed it in his room, and forgot about it. Two weeks later, Fr. Mauritius found the check on the floor under his Holiness’s bed while cleaning his cell. When he asked Pope Shenouda about it, he casually responded, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Let me see!” Imagine any of us holding a $200,000 check! But Pope Shenouda didn’t care for money.

To further highlight his asceticism, it was said that Pope Shenouda used to fast the whole year and only ate meat three times: on the Feast of the Nativity, the Feast of Theophany, and four to five days after the Feast of Resurrection. His cook, 3am 3aziz, said that in his 40 years of working for His Holiness, Pope Shenouda never requested a specific meal. If a meal was forgotten, he wouldn’t ask for food. He used to love honey with Bosomat (crunchy breadsticks with sesame seeds), and Nabet (fava bean soup).

The thing I love the most about Pope Shenouda is how he never had self-pity. Nazeer Gayed (his birth name) lost his mother during childbirth. His father passed away soon after, leaving him the youngest of eight siblings. He was raised by his older brother, Rofail, whose job required them to relocate often. This constant moving was a big source of loneliness for Nazeer. He said that he eventually stopped making friends because every time he did, he would lose them when his brother had to move again, causing him a lot of hurt. Yet, he never complained. Instead, he saw God’s hand in everything. That’s why when he started serving, he became the head of an orphanage. One day, a child there told him they wanted to drop out of school because they were ashamed of listing the orphanage as their home address. Nazeer then became his guardian so the child could use his personal address instead. He became like a father to that boy. Ironically, the orphaned Nazeer became a father to millions, as Pope Shenouda. 

All the circumstances were against him, but he always saw the blessing in everything. He never asked God, “Why me?! Why did You allow this to happen?!” And yet, we complain about the silliest things and pity ourselves over the most minor inconveniences. We focus too much on ourselves that we lose sight of the bigger picture.

He was truly a great man. That’s why the recorded attendance at his funeral was around one million people—comparable to funerals for leaders like Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth. His driver, 3am Ye7ya, loved him so much that after Pope Shenouda passed, he threw away his driving license because he never wanted to drive for anyone else. It was his personal, one-on-one interactions that made him so beloved. Fr. Daoud Lamie recalls a story about his fatherhood. He had a meeting scheduled with Pope Shenouda, but noticed that His Holiness was taking longer than expected with the meeting before his. Thinking it must be an important discussion with bishops, he patiently waited. Thirty minutes later, Pope Shenouda emerged from his office—with a 15-year-old boy. Turns out, the Pope was sitting with the teenager, helping him reconcile with his mother after a fight. Our very own Fr. Antonious Tanious recalls how, during clergy meetings, Pope Shenouda always made sure someone was translating for him. In the midst of hundreds of priests, he never forgot to include Abouna Antonious. Then there were the thousands of people he helped through the Righteousness Committee, which he personally oversaw every Thursday, getting involved in each case. 

He was loved by everyone, both Muslims and Christians. His deep love for Egypt and its people further cemented his legacy. When the White House once tried to intervene in a church-government issue, Pope Shenouda refused. He didn’t want outsiders interfering. Also, his unwavering support for the Palestinian cause in 1993, his meetings with Yasser Arafat, Former President of the Palestinian National Authority, and his refusal to visit Jerusalem while it was under occupation made him respected by all.

Finally, we cannot talk about Pope Shenouda without talking about his virtues. The most evident was wisdom. Ben Sirach describes him perfectly when he says “A work will be praised for the skill of its craftsmen, and a wise leader of people for the skill of his words” (Wisdom of Sirach 9:17). Whenever he was asked a question at his Wednesday Meetings, he answered it fully, covering every angle. If you don’t understand Arabic, you’re truly missing out. He was a deep sea of knowledge. But his wisdom was most evident in how he spoke—knowing when to speak and when to remain silent.

His courage was remarkable. It was what led him to be placed under house arrest after standing up to President Anwar El-Sadat and refusing to allow legislation that would harm the Christians in 1982. Yet, his sense of humor never faded. When he was first ordained as Bishop of Education, an older bishop warned him, “You better not taint the honor of the bishopric by continuing to teach as you used to.” The next day, Pope Shenouda walked straight into a Sunday School class, picked up a piece of chalk, and started teaching and writing on the chalkboard.  Moreover, His Holiness was also very incredibly sensitive. He had a heart that moved for everyone and everything. Fun fact: he kept dogs at the Monastery of St. Pishoy. Whenever one of them would fall ill or pass away, he would get deeply upset. 

To highlight Pope Shenouda’s reverence and charisma, Fr. Mina Ayad, one of His Holiness’ deacons before priesthood, says that Pope Shenouda was so revered and respected that you couldn’t maintain eye contact with him for too long. In contrast, he says that he was so simple and loving that whenever a child would go up to him, he would forget the whole world and start conversing with them. He recalls that whenever he would go spend Holy Week with his father, Archdeacon Ibrahim Ayad, and His Holiness at the Monastery of St. Pishoy, Pope Shenouda would always take him under his wing. He would always make time to hangout with him after his long meditative walks in the monastery. He used to always say, “When I became a monk, I learned to stop a lot of things, but one thing I could not stop was laughing.” Fr. Mina says that he used to sit in between His Holiness, and Bishop Sarabamoun in the picture above.   

One of the most important aspects to highlight is Pope Shenouda’s deep relationship with God. In a video of him (attached below), he receives a piece of paper during one of his regular Q&A sessions. Without hesitation, he looks up to heaven and hands it over to God. We don’t know whether the paper contained a question or an insult, but his immediate response speaks volumes about his trust and connection with God.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJPyiOu0RLo

This deep faith was also evident in his reaction to the tragic church bombing at St. Mark and Pope Peter the Seal of the Martyrs in Sedi Beshir, Alexandria, on January 1, 2011. Fr. Bolis St. Pishoy, who was his secretary at the time, described how upon hearing the news, His Holiness was deeply distressed and cried out to God: “How did You allow this, O Lord?! Is this how we begin the new year—on what was supposed to be a joyful celebration?”

Yet, in the midst of his sorrow, he began recalling the milestones he shared with God throughout his life, from childhood to his teenage years, his time as a teacher, a monk, a bishop, and finally Pope. He reminded himself of God’s mercies and compassion, allowing these memories to strengthen him for the difficult days ahead. He thought of all the times God had protected him, of situations that could not have passed without divine intervention. In doing so, he found the strength to move forward, trusting in God’s will even in the face of tragedy. A lesson that we can learn and apply.  

From 3am 3aziz to Amr Adeeb, Fr. Mauritius, and Fr. Antonious, they will all agree that Pope Shenouda was one of a kind. He had the perfect balance between leadership and humility, courage and wisdom, confidence and kindness. They would all tell you that his secret was mastering discernment, just like his intercessor, St. Anthony the Great. Taking him as a role model, we need to learn discernment as well.

A lot of us get lost in college. We get caught up in the waves of it all—this hangout, that exam, this service. We follow the trend without stopping to think, “Is this what’s best for ME? Is this what MY spiritual life needs right now?” We lose sight of the balance we’re supposed to have as we change so quickly from day to day. Then, when it’s too late, we look back and wonder, “What just happened? How did I end up like this?” When you can’t even recognize your true self anymore. So, please—make sure you find YOUR balance.

I will forget yesterday and today, and I may forget tomorrow.

I will forget a period in my life that was wasted.

However, I will not forget one simple question. 

When one day the heart said in confusion: How can I forget?

His Holiness Pope Shenouda the III, “How can I forget?”