Your Beatitude,
Your Eminences,
Reverend Fathers,
Dear pilgrims,
It is a special honor for me to receive the Holy Fire from Your hands again this year and to have the privilege of delivering it and conveying the message of the Resurrection, to the pious people of Greece.
With feelings of reverence and humility, we attended, together with the Greek delegation and the thousands of Christians, this unique moment of Orthodoxy, the Holy Fire Ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. With its blessing and spiritual power, the Holy Fire once again comforts our souls and strengthens our faith.
Your Beatitude,
Your enlightened guidance and the venerable work of the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood guard this sacred tradition against the difficulties and challenges of our times. Your full-of-fruits -and-works spiritual leadership acts as a compass for the Greek Orthodox congregation of Your region. The high mission of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem extends throughout the centuries, continuing, unquestionably, its struggle for the preservation of the Greek and Greek Orthodox presence in the Holy Land. The Greek State always stands by Your side, supporting every effort for the protection and promotion of the Holy Sites of our faith in the Holy Land, and for the defense of the rights and privileges of the Church of Holy Zion, including property rights and the religious Status Quo.
To repeat Your own words, Your Beatitude, we will all agree: Orthodoxy is not a culture, it is the light of truth. May this light that emanated from the Holy Sepulchre, the light of Christ’s Resurrection, spread the message of life, peace, and hope to the entire world!
Christ is Risen and Many Happy Returns!