Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a letter of solidarity and support to Archbishop Makarios of Australia due to the continuing spread of the pandemic in Melbourne and to the fact that there were also victims from the Greek Orthodox diaspora.
The Ecumenical Patriarch assured that the Mother Church and he personally prayed for the rapid end of the ordeal and the return to normal life.
Read the full letter of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew:
“We regret to be informed about the fact that the pandemic that struck Melbourne has claimed the lives of our spiritual children. We express to you and to your flock the solidarity of the Mother Church and myself. In addition, we assure you that we pray to the Almighty Physician, who heals our souls and bodies, in order to be able to overcome this ordeal and to return to normal life.”
The reply of the Archbishop of Australia was immediate. He thanked the Ecumenical Patriarch for his paternal affection for himself and for the people of Melbourne as well as for the wider region that has been hit by the pandemic.