I Rejoice in My Chains

History tells of political and social unrest in Egypt around the time of President Anwar Sadat n 1981. President Sadat exiled His Holiness Pope Shenouda to the monastery of St Bishoy on 3 September 1981. What followed was the imprisonment of several Bishops and laymen without justifiable cause in what became a very unsettled time in Egypt.

The conditions of their imprisonment were abominable. They were subjected to horrid living standards and psychological warfare from their guards and interrogators.

This book recounts a translation of extracts from the personal memoirs from people who were with His Holiness Pope Shenouda and Bishop Beimen as well as accounts from Bishop Benyamin, Father Boules Basili and Father Youssef Asaad.

It relays very personal and moving accounts of human emotions which they experienced during these tumultuous times. The extracts also tell of their faith, the power of prayer and their own experience of God’s guiding hand to marshal their release.