The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has sent a letter of sympathy and support to Australian Archbishop Makarios, for the bushfires devastating the country.
The letter stated that “it is with profound sorrow that we have watched the suffering of many people due to the devastating fires which have arisen in recent days in your beloved Christ-loving province.”
Patriarch Bartholomew added, “we seek through this letter to express our wholehearted sympathy towards your beloved Sanctity and through it, to the charitable Clergy and the Christ-loving people of the wounded territories of our Holy Archdiocese of Australia. In as much as we testify for the Holy and Great Church of Christ, we also declare personally, our loving interest and positive support.”
The Patriarchal letter also stated, “having ourselves come from a history of spiritual ordeals and the suffering of our People, we express to all, as a sponsor of good cheer, the immeasurable concern and paternal affection towards our troubled people and our Patriarchal prayer and blessing for a speedy recovery to serenity and normality. We also extend our condolences to the relatives of the victims and to all those who have been tormented unjustly in this cruel and harsh ordeal.”
Patriarch Bartholomew is the current Archbishop of Constantinople, which is the highest position in the Eastern Orthodox Church around the globe.
