Christmas greetings from His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, to the primates of the local orthodox churches and the heads of the non-orthodox churches and religious associations
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM HIS HOLINESS ALEXY II, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA, TO THE PRIMATES OF THE LOCAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES AND THE HEADS OF THE NON-ORTHODOX CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS
On the eve of the bright Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, sent a message of greetings to His Holiness Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople. The text of the message reads as follows.
His Holiness Bartholomew I
Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome
and the Ecumenical Patriarch
Your Holiness,
It is with deep fraternal love in Christ that we wholeheartedly greet you on the joyous and world-saving Feast of the Arrival in the World of our Lord and Savior.
Today, the hearts of all Christians are being filled with joy, as “the day-spring from the East our Savior has visited us from on high, and those in the darkness and shadows have found the truth” (Hymn of Light for the Nativity of Christ). Enlightened by the gracious rays of the light of Christ that has sprung up to us, let us renew our fraternal communication and joyfully praise the new-born Divine Infant, Who came to the earth for our sake to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk 19:10), in the unanimity of faith and the like-mindedness of love.
On this bright day, we will fervently pray to God that He may grant you and your Most Holy Church peaceful life, great goodness and abundant blessings for the coming New saving Year.
With fraternal love in the Born Christ
+ ALEXY
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
The Nativity of Christ
2002/2003
Moscow
Similar greetings on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ were sent to the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches:
His Beatitude PETROS VII, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa (Alexandria);
His Beatitude IGNATIOS IV, Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East (Damascus);
His Beatitude IRINEOS I, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine (Jerusalem);
His Holiness and Beatitude ELIJAH II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheti and Tbilisi (Tbilisi);
His Holiness PAVLE, Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovac, Patriarch of Serbia (Belgrade);
His Beatitude TEOCTIST, Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenie and Dobroudja, Patriarch of Rumania (Bucharest);
His Holiness MAXIM, Patriarch of Bulgaria (Sophia);
His Beatitude CHRYSOSTOMOS, Archbishop of New Justiniana and All Cyprus (Nicosia);
His Beatitude CHRISTODOULOS, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece (Athens);
His Beatitude ANASTASIOS, Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania (Tirana);
His Beatitude SAWA, Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland (Warsaw);
His Beatitude NIKOLAJ, Metropolitan of the Czech Lands and Slovakia (Prague);
His Beatitude HERMAN, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada (New York);
His Eminence DAMIANOS, Archbishop of Sinai, Pharan and Raitho (Cairo);
His Eminence LEO, Archbishop of Karelia and All Finland (Kuopio);
His Eminence DANIEL, Archbishop of Tokyo, Metropolitan of All Japan (Tokyo);
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II sent a message of greetings to His Holiness John Paul II, Pope of Rome. The text of the message reads as follows.
His Holiness John Paul II
Pope of Rome
Your Holiness,
It is with fraternal love in Christ that we wholeheartedly greet you on the joyful and world-saving Feast of the Arrival in the World of Our Lord and Savior.
Today, the hearts of all Christians are filling with joy, as “the day-spring from the East our Savior has visited us from on high, and those in the darkness and shadows have found the truth” (Hymn of Light for the Nativity of Christ). Enlightened by the blessed rays of the light of Christ that is sprung up to us, let us renew our fraternal communication and joyfully praise the new-born Divine Infant, Who came to the earth for our sake to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk 19:10).
On this bright day, we will fervently pray to God that He may grant you and your Most Holy Church peaceful life, great goodness and abundant blessings for the coming New saving Year.
With fraternal love in the Born Christ
+ ALEXY
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
The Nativity of Christ
2002/2003
Moscow
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church also sent Christmas greetings to:
His Holiness KAREKIN II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians (Echmiadzin);
His Holiness ARAM I, Catholicos of Cilicia (Beirut);
His Beatitude MESROB II, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey (Istanbul);
His Beatitude TORKOM II, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem (Jerusalem);
His Holiness SHENUDA III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in All Africa and the Middle East (Cairo);
His Beatitude NASRALLAH BUTROS Cardinal SFEIR, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East (Lebanon);
His Holiness BASIL Mar THOMAS MATHEW II, Maronite Patriarch of Malankar (Cottayam);
His Holiness Mar IGNATIOS ZAKKA I IVAS, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East (Damascus);
His Beatitude GREGORIOS III, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Alexandria and Jerusalem (Damascus);
His Holiness Abuna PAULOS, Patriarch of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa);
His Holiness Mar DINKHA IV, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East (Tehran);
His Grace Dr. ROWAN WILLIAMS, Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan (London);
Right Worthy FRANC T. GRISWOLD, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the USA (New York);
His Grace Dr. JORIS VERKAMMEN, Archbishop of Utrecht, Primate of the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands (Utrecht);
Right Worthy MANFRED KOCK, Praeses of the Evangelical Church in Rheinland, President of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (Hannover);
Dr. ERICK NORMAN SVENDSEN, Bishop of Copenhagen, Primate of the Church of Denmark (Copenhagen);
Dr. KLAUS GUSTAV HAMMAR, Archbishop of Uppsala, Primate of the Church of Sweden (Uppsala);
Dr. JUKKA PAARMA, Archbishop of Turku and Finland, Primate of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Finland (Turku);
Dr. GUNNAR STOLSETT, Bishop of Oslo (Oslo);
Dr. GEORG KRETSCHMAR, Archbishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Middle Asia (St. Petersburg);
Dr. JAN KIIVIT, Archbishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Estonia (Tallinn);
Dr. JANIS VANKORS, Archbishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Latvia (Riga);
Right Worthy JONAS KALVANAS, Bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Lithuania (Taurage);
Right Worthy AARRE KUGAPPI, Bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Ingria (St. Petersburg);
His Eminence AUDRYS JOUZAS Cardinal BACKIS, Archbishop of Vilnius (Vilnius);
His Eminence JANIS Cardinal PUYATOS, Archbishop-Metropolitan of Riga (Riga);
President of the Euro-Asian Federation of Unions of Evangelical Christians-Baptists ALEXANDER IVANOVICH FIRSYUK;
President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists YURY KIRILLOVICH SIPKO (Moscow);
Right Worthy OLAV YOHANNESOVICH PДRNAMETS, Superintendent of the Methodist Church of Estonia (Tallinn);
Pastor Dr. KONRAD RAISER, Secretary General of the World Council of Churches (Geneva);
His Eminence JEREMIAH, Metropolitan of Gallia, President of the Conference of European Churches (Geneva);
Pastor Dr. KEITH CLEMENTS, Secretary General of the Conference of European Churches (Geneva);
His Holiness Alexy II congratulated on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ
His Eminence ALIMPIUS, Old Believers’ Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia (Moscow);
His Eminence ALEXANDER, Archbishop of Novozybkov, Moscow and All Russia, of the Old Orthodox Church (Novozybkov, Bryansk region);
His Eminence LEONTIUS, Metropolitan of Belaya Krynitsa and All Old Orthodox Christians (Briela, Rumania);
President of the Central Council of the Old Orthodox Pomorye Church of Latvia ALEXY KARATAYEV (Riga);
Senior Preceptor of the Riga Grebenshikov Old Believers’ Community IOANN MIROLYUBOV (Riga);
Chairman of the Russian Council of the Old Orthodox Pomorye Church, senior preceptor of the Pomorye Old Believers’ Community of St. Petersburg OLEG IVANOVICH ROZANOV (St. Petersburg);
Chairman of the Supreme Old Believers’ Council of the Old Orthodox Pomorye Church in Lithuania NIKIFOR LEONTYEVICH PILNIKOV (Vilnius);
Chairman of the Moscow Old Believers’ Community of the Old Pomorye and Fedoseyev Communion ANDREY LOBZA (Moscow);
Chairman of the Central Council of the Old Orthodox Pomorye Church in the Republic of Belorussia, head of the Old Orthodox Pomorye Community in Polotsk PYOTR ALEXANDROVICH ORLOV (Polotsk);
Chairman of the Moscow Pomorye Old Believers’ Community IGOR MATVEYEVICH SHUVALOV (Moscow);
See also:
His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
