Greetings of Archimandrite Sergei, Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration, New Valamo

Your Eminence, Archbishop John; distinguished hierarchs and members of the clergy; beloved brothers and sisters in Christ!
I have the great pleasure and honour to welcome you most sincerely on behalf of the Monastery of the Transfiguration of Our Lord and the Lay Academy to this XVI General Assembly of SYNDESMOS at New Valamo.
This is the third time that the General Assembly has been held in Finland. The first time was at
Punkaharju in 1964; the second time the Assembly was held at New Valamo in 1980. A great deal of construction has taken place here since that last occasion, including the hotel, library, icon conservation facilities and education college for adults. At the same time the brotherhood, with about ten members, has undergone many changes, and its average age has been lowered somewhat. The monastery has become one of the central places for Orthodox spirituality and culture in Finland. More than 150,000 pilgrims and tourists visit it annually. This naturally means that catering to visitors has become our
main source of livelihood.
I am delighted that the Monastery and Lay Academy have been able to be of service to the Orthodox Church worldwide by hosting this General Assembly, that we have been able to support in this way the important work done by SYNDESMOS on behalf of Orthodox youth organisations and theological schools. The theme of the Assembly, "Serve the Lord in Unity" [Zephaniah 3:9, is an appropriate reminder to us that unity is not a foregone conclusion, even among the Orthodox Churches. Attitudes that are liable to weaken the unity of the Church and common faith have spread lately in an alarming manner within some local Churches, and there has been a desire to search for divergent factors rather than unifying ones. By doing this, we are perhaps unconsciously allowing the devil an
opportunity to sow seeds of fear in us, thereby detracting us from Church unity and joint witness. Teachers of theological colleges also bear a great responsibility for the attitude the clergy and other church workers take with them in their future service. This will contribute decisively to the an-swer
to the question of whether we will be able to "serve the Lord in unity" in the coming years.
We have gathered here on the hill of the Transfiguration Monastery on this bright summer day as if on Mount Tabor, to begin the XVI General Assembly of SYNDESMOS. It is proper to recall the words of the Apostle Peter on that occasion, when he said to the transfigured Saviour, "Lord, it is good for us to be here" [Matthew 17:4]. I hope that you will feel the same during this meeting.
I wish the General Assembly of SYNDESMOS, and all who take part in it, success and spiritual happiness in the coming days. May this meeting, like the previous ones, serve the cause of unity within our Orthodox Church. Once again, welcome to the monastery.