CAIRO: Thousands of Copts celebrated with Egyptian Pope Shenouda the 36th anniversary of his papacy on Wednesday. The church congregation was worried about the Pope's health following his hospitalization for five days last week. But to the relief of the attendees, Pope Shenouda III, the 117th Pope of The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, attended the event confirming his recovery. In the celebrations, the Pope asked the bishops to serve the people and not to misuse their authority. "You are responsible for each individual, the Pope told the priests. "Don't count the day you don't serve the people in your lives. He asserted that clergymen shouldn't lead but serve. The Pope also addressed a number of issues during his speech. He said he prays for the people who insulted him. "I was never upset from our children who criticized me in newspapers. We could benefit from their criticism. They also strike a balance: Some make insults, others praise. A group of secular Copts held a number of conferences over the past couple of years calling for "church reform . In the process, they heavily criticized the pope's and other clergymen's policies in dealing with opposition. In his speech, the Pope said he increased the role of secular Copts within the church and giving the people the right to choose their own patrons. Pope Shenouda assumed his papal responsibilities in 1971. Tension marked his relations with President Anwar Sadat, who put him under house arrest in a monastery in Wadi El Natroun in 1981. President Mubarak removed these restrictions in 1984, three years after Sadat's assassination. This earned the charismatic Pope ensuing popularity. On Monday, numerous officials led by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and Parliament head Fathi Sorour, visited the Pope.
