DECR chairman greets foreign statesmen and public figures with Nativity of Christ and New Year

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, sent Christmas greetings to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; King Felipe VI of Spain; Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein; Head of the Bulgarian Royal Family Tsar Simeon II; President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen; Acting Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel; President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos Calderón; President of Poland Andrzei Duda; President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić; and others. The text of the message is given below.

From the depths of my heart I congratulate you on the great Christian feast of the Nativity of Christ and the New Year.

We recall now the accomplished “great mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16).

In the bright days of the Nativity of the Saviour the Church lifts up her prayers to the All-Merciful God so that in every corner of the earth the peace and accord that we desire shall reign. In order to attain this goal, all Christians and people of good will must unite their efforts, bear witness in solidarity to the unalterable nature of the Gospel ideals, perform good deeds and serve one’s neighbor.

I wish you strong health and aid from Christ in your good endeavors and labors.

With respect,

/+ Hilarion/

Metropolitan of Volokolamsk

Chairman

Department for External Church Relations

Moscow Patriarchate