Message of H. H. Baselius Mar Thoma Mathews II, Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan

Your Eminences, Your Graces,Reverend Fathers, and beloved brothers and sisters in Christ: Our warm greetings and blessings to the organisers and participants of the XVI General Assembly of SYNDESMOS at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Finland.
We thank God and rejoice with all of you for all the blessings received so far through SYNDESMOS, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth, which is rendering singular service to
the life and growth of young people in the Holy Church. The programmes are aimed at deepening the spiritual experiences of youth, training them in moral uprightness and empowering them to be the torch bearers of the true Faith and witness of the Church. History bears witness to the fact that it was the enthusiasm and undying good will of the youth that has initiated many bold and enterprising endeavours in fields where elders have been tied up by numerous biases, perplexities and indecisions. It is heartening to note that SYNDESMOS has shown remarkable enthusiasm in cementing the bond of unity
among Orthodox Christians the world over, and especially among the youth.
The theme of your Assembly, "Serve the Lord in Unity," is most relevant and meaningful for our times. Youthful energy, when properly and purposefully channeled, can provide solid and long-standing dividends for the betterment of Church and soci-ety. We are most happy to state that SYNDESMOS has proved the point in an exceptional way. Our Church, founded in India in 52 AD by Saint Thomas, the blessed Apostle of our Lord, has developed two organisations to cater to the spiritual needs of young people in the Church - INGOCSM for students, started in 1908, and the Orthodox Youth movement for all other youth, started for the growth and development of our youth - and they have been represented in SYNDESMOS for almost a decade now.
As SYNDESMOS is on the threshold of a new century and a new millennium, and also is quickly approaching its Golden Jubilee, may we exhort Orthodox young people to cooperate actively in the endeavour to bring all Orthodox Churches into a closer relationship than exists today! The Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, and all of us are part and parcel of that One Church. So let us all work hard for the cause of unity among us for mission and witness in the present situation characterised by plurality, corruption, and competition which results in mutual hatred, envy, cruelty, and even
war. There is no denying the fact that we live in a critical period in human history. May we strive to grow in holiness, love, and unity as children of God to be of greater service to the whole creation and not to mankind alone.