In a message filled with hope yet grounded in an honest reflection of today’s global and spiritual challenges, Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece addressed the sacred clergy and faithful of the Archdiocese of Athens with his 2025 Paschal Encyclical.
The Archbishop opened his message with the traditional Resurrection greeting: “CHRIST IS RISEN! And now all things are filled with light!”, emphasizing that “the Risen Christ becomes the foundation of a new life and a renewed creation.” He highlighted the Resurrection as a divine gift of immortality bestowed upon human nature—restoring it, as he noted, “to its former nobility.”
However, the Archbishop did not shy away from acknowledging the darkness of our times. “The world, far from God, lies in the power of the evil one,” he observed, referring to the forces of war, injustice, exploitation, and human suffering. He lamented the erosion of personal relationships, the diminishing role of family, the uncertainty of global affairs, and even the trials within Church communities, which, as he said, are “being shaken and tested by growing indifference.”
Against this backdrop, Archbishop Ieronymos pointed to the enduring meaning of the Kingdom of God, as proclaimed during Lent: “righteousness and asceticism with holiness.” He called on believers to embrace a path of “sacrificial love without compromise,” insisting that “Resurrection life means struggle”—a struggle against the evil around us and the sin rooted within us: egoism, selfishness, and spiritual complacency.
This Christian ethos, he noted, is cultivated “in worship and in our gratitude toward the Risen Lord.” He underscored that through Christ’s infinite grace and sacrificial love, “life and history acquire meaning.”
Concluding his message, Archbishop Ieronymos called all faithful to become true witnesses and bearers of the Resurrection’s hope: “The Risen Christ offers a transformative perspective for the world’s history. The testimony of His Resurrection becomes our sacred duty and the melody of our hearts.”
He ended with the joyful proclamation of faith: “TRULY THE LORD IS RISEN!”
Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
