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Message of His Eminence Damianos, Archbishop of
Sinai
Brother hierarchs, reverend clergy, Mr. Vladimir Misijuk, and all
who have gathered for the SYNDESMOS XVI General Assembly: As Archbishop
of Sinai and Abbot of Saint Catherine's Monastery, I extend to you
my prayers and blessings on the occasion of your General Assembly.
You have as your theme the admonition of the Prophet Zephaniah, "Serve
the Lord in Unity," and on this
I would like to say a few words.
As Orthodox Christians let us seek, first, union with God, accomplished
in the Incarnation and maintained within the Church, following the
example of the saints who from ages past have been well pleasing unto
God. Without this, our efforts for unity will be lacking the necessary
founda-tion.
They will be a departure from the way the saints have walked, which
ends in the destruction of our ecclesiastical heritage. We must pray
for the unity of the Orthodox Churches, in accordance with the words
of Christ, "That they all may be one as Thou, Father, art in
Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us." As to unity
with other churches, this must be sought in keeping with the rule
of the Fathers of the Church, and a return to the common Tradition.
Such a unity would indeed be a miracle,
"but with God, all things are possible."
We face challenging and difficult times. Many of the issues imposing
themselves on the Church today are unprecedented, certainly in magnitude
and complexity, if not in the ac-ADDRESSES tual issues themselves.
Much discretion is needed to meet these challenges. But it is especially
at these
times that we must follow with all exactness the rule of faith that
has been entrusted to us as Orthodox Christians. For it is thus that
we shall receive the grace of the Holy Spirit, to illuminate our way
and guide us in our steps. In your high ideals and noble aspirations
as Orthodox youth, I enjoin each of you to keep this necessary perspective
in mind. We pray that God may direct and guide you as you make farreaching
decisions for the coming years at this important and critical time
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