Irenical letter at the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord

"Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die"(John 11:26)

Your Holiness / Beatitude,

CHRIST IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Throughout Church history, in different times and places, Christians were persecuted either by followers of other religions or by hostile regimes, so that the number of Christian martyrs in history grew until today, when many Christians are killed especially in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Our Saviour Jesus Christ spoke of persecutions and martyrdom that His disciples and those who believe in Him will endure from the Jews and pagans (cf. John 16:1-4, 33). All those who have died for their faith in Christ should be commemorated with thanksgiving and veneration, since their sacrifice lays at the foundation of the freedom and dignity of present and future generations. Therefore, the Church always urges us to remember how great is the light and holiness of sacrifice and how necessary is the work of healing and renewal of humanity, sick with hatred and violence, greed and arrogance, intolerance and indifference, and many other forms of physical and spiritual death.

Today, when human society is increasingly secularised, the saints of all ages, but especially those in more recent times, teach us that, if we forget God, we quickly forget the sacred dimension of human life and the responsibility towards humans will decrease more and more. In front of the temptation of selfish human being to rule over other people, the saints teach us to discover the humble love of Christ for all people, the love that never disappoints and humiliates anyone, but heals and elevates the human person created in God's image.

In the light, peace and joy of Easter, We wish you God's help in your pastoral and social mission.

With brotherly embrace in Christ, the Risen Lord,

† DANIEL

Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church