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DECR chairman greets state leaders of foreign coun…

DECR chairman greets state leaders of foreign countries with Easter

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, has sent Easter greetings to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and North Ireland; King Felipe VI of Spain; King Philippe of Belgium; King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands; Reigning Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein; Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein; Alexander van der Bellen ,President of the Republic of Austria; Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany; Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic; Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic; Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermúdes, President of the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba; Raúl Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba; President Gjorge Ivanov of the Republic of North Macedonia; President Aleksandar Vučić of the Republic of Serbia; President Milo Đukanović of Montenegro; President Andrej Kiska of the Slovak Republic; President Borut Pahor of the Republic of Slovenia; President Miloš Zeman of the Czech Republic; President Prokopis Pavlopoulos of the Hellenic Republic; President Ruman Radev of the Republic of Bulgaria; President Nicos Anastasiades of the Republic of Cyprus; President Klaus Iohannis of Romania; President Andrzej Duda of the Republic of Poland; President Raimonds Vejonis of the Republic of Latvia; President Dalia Grybauskaitė of the Republic of Lithuania; President Kersti Kaljiuland of the Republic of Estonia; President Armen Sarkissian of the Republic of Armenia; President Igor Dodon of the Republic of Moldova; President Aleksandr Lukashenko of the Republic of Belarus; President Anatoly Bibilov of the Republic of South Ossetia; President Rau Khajimba of the Republic of Abkhasia; Guiseppe Conte, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic; Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic; Prince Charles of Wales; Tsar Simeon II, head of the Bulgarian royal family; Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia, head of the Imperial House of Hohenzollern; and other state and public leaders and leaders of international institutions. The text reads as follows:

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the radiant feast of the resurrection of Christ with the words of Paschal joy:

Christ is risen!

The holy apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Christians of Corinth: “Christ died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them” (2 Cor 5:15). The steadfast observance of Christ’s commandments makes us partakers in the Lord and grants to us the strength to serve the cause of good and relations of mutual respect among people.

On this radiant and joyful day I wish you from the risen Saviour strength of body and soul, and blessed success in your labours and service.

Respectfully,

+ Hilarion

Metropolitan of Volokolamsk

Chairman

Department of External Relations

Moscow Patriarchate

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