Greetings of the Macedonian Archbishop Stephan to the Patriarch of Moscow and whole Russia Cyril
(
28.01.2009
)
Your Holiness,
Оn the occasion of your election for Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, with which the Almighty God with His eternal wisdom and care for our salvation, glorified and placed you at the Throne of the Holy Russian Church, we are honoured to express our and the happiness of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.
In my name, and on behalf of brother’s hierarchs, clergy, monastics and the faithful people of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, please do receive our honest greetings for your election. We pray to Merciful God Jesus Christ to give you healthy life and peaceful soul, so you be the “good shepherd” and “the faithful servant at Gods field.”
In your personality, Your Holiness, we find Christ-loving priest, who, with his sublime evangelic love has the real understanding about the conditions in whole Orthodoxy, as for the situation in which the Macedonian Orthodox Church is.
Holy Patriarch,
The memories of your stay in Macedonia in 2003, and your visit to our Holy Church, to Ohrid – the Slav Jerusalem, are still fresh, the talks we had together, and the meetings you had here in Macedonia.
Macedonian Orthodox Church highly respects and valuates the established good relations with your God-loving personality, and with the Russian Orthodox Church as well.
The spiritual connection among Russia and Macedonia is centurial, since the times of the Holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, St. Clement and his University, Gleb and Olga, and the connection between our two peoples lasts till today. Unforgettable is the help that was commonly practiced between the Ohrid Archdiocese and the whole Russian Orthodoxy, whenever needed. Just these historic moments of the occurrence of the true Christian love among our two peoples and churches, are the basis to believe that your election as Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church will help such relations to deepen and develop in the times to come.
We pray to Merciful God to award you gratefully with His gifts, for happiness and salvation of you, Your Holiness, to your brothers hierarchs and priests of the Russian Orthodox Church and the whole Russian Christ-loving people.
Long may you live, Your Holiness and for many years!
HEAD OF THE MACEDONIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
ARCHBISHOP OF OHRID AND MACEDONIA
STEPHEN
