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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has sent Christmas greetings to the following Primates of Local Orthodox Churches: His Holiness Bartholomew, Patriarch of Constantinople; His Beatitude Theodore II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria; His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch, His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of Jerusalem; His Holiness and Beatitude Iliya II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia; His Holiness Irenaeus, Patriarch of Serbia; His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania; His Holiness Neophyte, Patriarch of Bulgaria; His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, Archbishop of Cyprus; His Beatitude Hieronymus II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece; His Beatitude Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania; His Beatitude Sawa, Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland; His Beatitude Rostislav, Metropolitan of the Czech Lands and Slovakia; His Beatitude Tikhon, Metropolitan of All America and Canada. The message of greetings reads in particular:

I wholeheartedly greet you on the occasion of the sacred feast – the Nativity in flesh of the Eternally Begotten and Inscrutable Son of God Jesus Christ.

Today all creatures shall be filled with joy; for Christ hath been born of the Virgin (Christmas Canon, Ode 9). A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse…and the spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Is. 11:1-2). He Who is from the beginning (1 Jn. 2:13) and the Word of the Eternal Father became clothed in human flesh so that man could be restored to his original purity and sanctity through becoming participant in the Feast of His Kingdom.

I prayerfully ask the Divine Enfant born in Bethlehem to send to Your Holiness peace and abundant energy for the benefit of the Church of Christ and salvation of the flock entrusted to your care.

With love in the Lord,

 + KIRILL

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia