Patriarch Kirill’s Christmas and New Year greetings to head of foreign states
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has sent Christmas and New Year greetings to heads of traditionally Orthodox states in the far abroad, among them President of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev, President of Greece Prokopipios Pavlopoulos, President of Cyprus Nicos Anastaciades, President of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov, President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolić, and President-elect of Bulgaria Rumen Radev.
The message reads:
The event that happened according to God’s design in Bethlehem two thousand years ago has revealed the power of the Creator’s love of the human race and opened for us the way to salvation. Rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Who came to the world and drawing inspiration from His feat and selfless service, Christians testify to their aspiration to follow the gospel’s spiritual and moral principles and to be guided both in their private and public life by the lofty ideals of goodness, mercy and compassion.
I wish you sound health, inexhaustible help of God and success in your important public work and to the people of your country I wish peace and wellbeing.
Respectfully,
+ KIRILL
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia