His Holiness Pope Shenouda III’s interview with Aghapy TV channel

The lecture is a spiritual and historical conversation with His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, revealing his deep spiritual and ecclesiastical experience from his early service to the patriarchal stage. It begins with a reflection on the monk who left the world to live for God in purity and solitude, then the Pope explains how the Coptic Church grew in preaching, Sunday Schools, magazines, and books, affirming that the Church is responsible for her children’s salvation before, during, and after straying, but she does not compel anyone, for God granted man free will.
The Pope emphasizes that teaching is the way to erase sin and that the Church fights ideas, not persons, as St. Athanasius did in confronting heresies.
He explains that divine freedom does not cancel divine grace but completes it, leaving man responsible for his choice between good and evil.
He stresses that the believer must be strong against his environment, like Joseph the Righteous, and not make earning bread his only goal, for “man shall not live by bread alone,” but by the spiritual bread which is the Word of God.
The Pope reveals his life stages—from secular service to monasticism, solitude, and ministry—showing that all were united by one line: the love of God.
He also clarifies that true pastoral care means self-sacrifice for the flock, seeking the lost, and caring for the weak, citing God’s words in the Book of Ezekiel.
He concludes with the great expansion of the Coptic Church inside and outside Egypt, confirming that her main goal is to preserve the Orthodox faith and serve her children everywhere with love and respect.

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