Easter Pastoral Letter

Bessarabia Metropolitan urges Christians to live for God and others in Easter pastoral letter

“A person who believes in Christ the Risen One no longer lives for himself, but for God and for his neighbour. He lives out his vocation as a witness to the light, a bearer of peace and a servant of truth,” Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia said in his pastoral letter for Holy Pascha. His Eminence…

Apr 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Ioan Casian: ‘Joy is the first gift Christ offers the Myrrh-bearing Women’

“The first thing Christ wishes to share with the Myrrh-bearing Women early in the morning is joy,” writes Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada in his pastoral message for Holy Pascha. “Joy springs from the encounter with the Son of God, who grants us salvation. It is the shared joy of communion once lost and restored…

Apr 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Atanasie says Resurrection is ‘true life’, calls for faith and stability in families

“The Resurrection is not merely a consolation for the soul, not just a beautiful thought that comforts us for a moment, but is life itself—the true life,” said Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in his Easter pastoral letter. In his message, the archbishop emphasised that the Resurrection transforms and gives meaning to…

Apr 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox Bishop in Ireland: The path to Resurrection does not pass through the stomach

In his first pastoral letter, Bishop Nectarie of Ireland and Iceland urged the faithful to look beyond material joys and reminded them that the journey toward Christ’s Resurrection and salvation is not one of bodily indulgence. “The Christian teaching is one full of joy—something far deeper than what we typically call optimism. And Holy Pascha…

Apr 21, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Ioan Casian’s Easter pastoral letter: Christ’s light shines in the repentant, transforming them into light through divine grace

“Christ as God remains a mystery. He shines hidden by His divine nature, unreachable by human nature, being the luminous abyss of divine darkness, the source and providential guide of all,” emphasized Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada in his Easter pastoral letter. His Grace reflected on how the light of Christ becomes the light of…

Apr 18, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

In first Easter pastoral letter as Bishop of Sălaj, Benedict says God helps us carry burdens beyond our strength

In his first Easter Pastoral Letter, His Grace Bishop Benedict of Sălaj reflected on the burdens of earthly life accompanied by God’s generous presence. He emphasized that the Resurrection of Christ is not merely a future promise but a present reality that allows us to begin tasting eternal life now. “A beginning is always difficult—but…

Apr 15, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Easter message from Metropolitan Nicolae: Live as those freed from death and Hades through Christ

“As we proclaim the Resurrection of the Lord in these days, we ought to reflect with understanding upon the blessings revealed to us in the Resurrection Hymn,” wrote Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas in his Easter Pastoral Letter. “Let us live as those who have been freed from death and…

Apr 15, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel’s Easter Pastoral Letter 2025: The light and joy of Christ’s resurrection offer meaning to universal history

In his pastoral letter for Holy Pascha 2025, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church, proclaimed the Resurrection of Christ as the cornerstone of Christian faith and the foundation of hope for all humanity. Addressing clergy and faithful, the Patriarch described Holy Pascha as the “Feast of Feasts,” underscoring its significance as…

Apr 14, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Andrei of Cluj urges purification of the soul to see the risen Christ in Easter Pastoral Letter

“Our greatest desire is to see Christ, who rose from the dead. He gives the condition we must fulfill: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8),” emphasized Metropolitan Andrei of Cluj, Maramureș, and Sălaj in his Easter Pastoral Letter. His Eminence underlined the need to purify the inner senses…

Apr 14, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Arad Archbishop reflects on “the dawn of a new beginning for the world” in his Easter pastoral letter

The Archbishop of Arad writes in his Easter Pastoral Letter about the exapostilaria—paschal hymns that recall the new beginning brought to the world through the Resurrection of Christ: “The cycle of the eleven Resurrection Gospels is read during Matins, constantly reminding us of the dawn of a new beginning for the world. Within the same…

Apr 14, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Guards of the stone at the tomb entrance are all those who turn faith into ideology: Bishop Ignatie of Husi

“The guards of the stone at the tomb entrance are all those who turn faith into ideology, spectacle and political image capital,” His Grace Bishop Ignatie of Husi stressed in this year’s Easter pastoral letter entitled “The Resurrection of the Lord and the false guards.” The Bishop of Husi points to the contradictory elements in…

Apr 22, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu