Message from His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II to the President of the Republic of Macedonia

MESSAGE FROM HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH ALEXY II TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

His Excellency Boris Traikovski
President
Republic of Macedonia

Your Excellency,
Highly Esteemed Mr., President:

The Russian Orthodox Church has been profoundly disturbed by the alarming reports from Macedonia. Our people know what terrorism is not by hearsay. Only a few days ago, explosions in North Caucasus took away the lives of innocent people. It has made even more acute our compassion for the fraternal people, most of whom are our kin in the Orthodox faith, when we have heard about a mass-scale aggression of terrorist and extremist groupings against Macedonia.

We mourn all who have suffered in recent armed conflicts, whatever ethnic groups or religious tradition they may belong. The Slavs, Albanians, and people of all nationalities and faiths are called to live together on the God-created earth. Holy Scriptures teaches us: “Seek peace and pursue it” (1 Pet. 3:11). It is only through dialogue, not by the power of weapons, that solution can be found to the problems involved in the equitable insurance of legitimate interests and rights of various minorities. We are certain that all truly religious people agree to this.

The present situation in the Balkans is in a considerable degree a consequence of the policy that has been pursued in the recent years by a number of states. The Russian Orthodox Church has warned against the danger of using radical nationalistic separatism for political purposes. Today it seems to be clear to all that the countries which have assumed the responsibility for establishing peace and order in Kosovo have failed to achieve their declared goals. The conflict between the Slavic and Albanian communities has not been resolved, but rather increased. People continue to suffer and have become accustomed to the atmosphere of enmity and hatred. Moreover, Kosovo has actually turned into an enclave of terrorism and organized crime, a hotbed of instability for neighboring states to which hundreds of thousands of refugee have poured.

We thank God that the actions of the Macedonian authorities and armed forces have been crowned with success. The onslaught of paramilitaries threatening major cities in the country has been rebuffed. Nevertheless, the tension is still there.

In this situation, Mr. President, we would like to express our support for the Macedonian state leadership and army in their struggle with terrorist formations and their efforts for establishing peace and stability in the country. We testify to our fraternal feelings for the people of Macedonia who are undergoing severe trials today.

Commemorating in prayer the victims of the bloodshed in Macedonia, we lift up to the Throne of the Almighty our ardent prayer that the Lord may protect the people of your beloved country from the hanging threat and give it peace, well-being and prosperity.

+ ALEXY, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA