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