His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, sent a message of condolences at the passing away of His Eminence Mihail Staikos, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Austria and Exarch of Hungary and Central Europe, which we render below:

His Holiness BARTHOLOMAIOS,
Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome,
Ecumenical Patriarch

Your Holiness,

It is with deep Christian sorrow that we have learned of the passing away from this world, after a long and painful illness, of His Eminence Michael Staikos, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Austria and Exarhos of Hungary and Central Europe, a close friend of the Romanian Orthodox Church and a fervent promoter of Orthodoxy in the European context.

The longstanding friendship and cooperation with our Church has been deepened and enriched throughout the two decades since late Metropolitan Michael was elected, in November 1991, as spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox community in this part of Europe. More recently, our concelebration at the consecration of the Romanian parish church in Vienna, on 14 June 2009, represented another outstanding moment of luminous joyful communion in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

We pray God to rest the soul of our brother hierarch Michael in the light of His Resurrection and in the peace of His eternal Kingdom.

May his memory be eternal!

† DANIEL
Patriarch of Romania