“Easter remains ‘unshakeable’ in external conditions, such as martyrdom, catacombs, exile, prisons, persecutions and global crises, like the one we are currently experiencing,” Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria and all Africa stresses in his Easter message.
The Patriarch also emphasises that no force is capable of throwing a spanner in the works of the Orthodox Church regarding the celebration of Easter, no matter how gloomy the future may seem.
He adds that in difficult times God gives us a clear message and offers to us the opportunity to return to Him. God is not a promise of material prosperity but an arduous journey to Calvary during which Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos, and the Saints protect us. He adds that this Easter is an opportunity to remain in communion with Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, despite our concerns, which seem to go away gradually.
Finally, the Patriarch concluded, “I embrace you, I bless you, I forgive you, I ask the Lord to have mercy on you, and I invoke the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to bless you. Christ is Risen, my children! Have courage! Christ defeated death!”