Monday, April 16, 2007

Patriarch Alexy of Moscow Birthday Letter To Pope Benedict XVI

Your Holiness,

I cordially greet you on the occasion of your 80th birthday.

On this solemn day of your jubilee, may I express my special admiration of your life that has wholly been dedicated to the church ministry.

You were young when you were ordained and since then you have led a praiseworthy life culminating in your election to high and eminent position of the Primate of the Roman Catholic Church.

As a minister of the Church, you have long been a famous theologian fully dedicated to defending and affirming of traditional Christian values.

What makes your position especially convincing is that you as a theologian are not merely a theoretically thinking scholar, but above all a sincere and deeply devoted Christian who speaks of the abundance of his heart (cf. Matthew 12.34).

I share many of the insights of your theological works and I would like to underline coinciding of our Churches’ views on most vital issues with which the modern world challenges Christianity.

I am deeply persuaded that it should become a solid basis for good relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

I wholeheartedly wish you good health, many years of life, and God’s help in your high ministry.

+Alexy

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

April 16, 2007

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce