His Holiness Patriarch Kirill congratulates Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches on the Nativity of Christ
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia sent greetings with the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, His Beatitude Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandra, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, His Holiness and Beatitude Iliya II, Catholicos and Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania, His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II of New Justiniana and All Cyprus, His Beatitude Hieronymos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, His Beatitude Metropolitan Sava of Warsaw and All Poland, His Beatitude Metropolitan Christopher of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada. Metropolitan Hilarion also greeted Metropolitan Kyrill of Varna and Veliki Preslav, temporary chairman of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, as well as the heads of the Autonomous Churches: His Eminence Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland and His Eminence Metropolitan Daniel of All Japan.
Patriarchal Christmas greetings were sent also to the heads of the Autonomous Churches: His Eminence Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland and His Eminence Metropolitan Daniel of All Japan.
The text reads:
“I wholeheartedly greet You with the great feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
On that great night, the angelic song ‘glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” (Lk 2:14) proclaimed the fulfillment of the pre-eternal council of the Holy Trinity to the shepherds in Bethlehem. The Consubstantial Son of God, who has created everything by his wisdom, has come to the earth to grant his good will and ‘the peace of God , which surpasses all understanding’ (Phil 4:7).
I am offering up my prayers to the ineffably Incarnate of the Ever Virgin Mary to bestow his abundant mercies and grace to you and to your Christ-named flock.
With brotherly love in the Lord,
+ KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA
The Nativity of Christ
2012/2013
Moscow