Easter Greeting of Serbian Patriarch Irinej to Roman Pope

To His Holiness

Pope FRANCIS

Vatican City

At Easter time 2013

Belgrade

Your Holiness,

On the occasion of the coming Feast Day, the Glorious Resurrection of Christ our Savior, We convey to You fraternal regards and best wishes with the joyful paschal greeting:

CHRIST IS RISEN - TRULY HE IS RISEN!

The Resurrection of Christ is the Mystery anticipated for centuries, the fulfillment of the Old in the New Testament through the final renewal of the whole creation, for we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now (Rom. 8:22) for what is only New under the Sun - the Resurrection of the God-Man Jesus Christ from the dead (Mt. 28:6).

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (John 11:25), the Savior says to every man. This testimony represents the only hope, comfort, joy and the meaning of life in these difficult times. The God-Man Jesus Christ started the only justified revolution in this world in which He does not take lives of others but lays down his own life for the whole mankind. In the light of divinely inspired teaching of the Orthodox Church, St. Bishop Nikolai of Serbia considers Christ’s teaching absolutely revolutionary saying that internal, moral and spiritual revolution is the revolution of Christians. That is the sole justifiable, beneficial, positive and constructive revolution. Everything else that the world termed as a revolution is, more or less, an ordinary heap of wrongdoing. Such an image of the world stained by a multitude of nonsensical revolutions, coups and crimes, can be rationalized only through the truth from the simple wisdom uttered by Saint Bishop Nikolai saying: We Christians are awaiting Christ – not a better time.

The Lord did not bring a new philosophy to humankind, nor some new ethics, but a new life. He Who is the image of the invisible God, born before all things (Col. 1:15), was given to humankind as the pledge of the Resurrection in the Mystery of Baptism (Gal. 3:27). By His Cross and three day Resurrection conclusively and perfectly, He confirmed that He is the chosen Messiah and the Savior of the world, as well as that there is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

With best wishes on this occasion, We also express to You Our sincere respect, and remain in the Love of the Risen God-Man Jesus Christ.

SERBIAN PATRIARCH