On the occasion of the Feast of the Resurrection 2023, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, sends an irenic letter to His Holiness Bartholomaios, the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Similar letters were sent to all the heads of Orthodox Autocephalous Churches.
Full text:
Bucharest, Holy Easter 2023
His Holiness Bartholomaios,
Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome,
Ecumenical Patriarch
Your Holiness,
Christ is Risen!
The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the central truth of the Christian faith and the permanent light in the life of the Church, representing the victory of His crucified love on the Cross over the hades and death, but also the beginning of a new life, the eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Therefore, at the end of time, the Crucified and Resurrected Christ will be also the Righteous Judge, and the ultimate criteria of the judgement will be the humble and merciful love showed towards those in need: the hungry, the poor, the sick, the imprisoned (cf. Mathew 25:3-46).
For this reason, the light, peace and joy of the Holy Easter is calling us to show around us, through kind words and good acts, light, peace and joy. Thus, we are all called to bring joy wherever there is sadness and suffering, poverty and loneliness, to offer presents and signs of appreciation to orphans, the elderly who are alone and to the sick, as well as to the refugees and to the saddened and bereaved families because of the war in Ukraine.
We pray to God that the feast of the Holy Easter may bring you good health and abundant help in the pastoral and missionary activity you undertake.
With brotherly love in Christ the Risen Lord,
† Daniel
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Photo: Basilica.ro
