Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Kostas Vlasis, has sent a hopeful message to the Greek diaspora to mark Greek Orthodox Easter this week.
In his message, Mr Vlasis wishes everyone a joyous Easter and expresses his hopes that this Easter will be a new beginning for everyone.
“The word Easter means passage. Passage to a new day, a new beginning. May this Easter be the end of the ordeal and the beginning of a new course for all,” the Deputy Foreign Minister writes.
Full message in English:
Dear compatriots,
I am very happy because the great feast of Orthodoxy, Easter, gives me the opportunity to contact you once again, the Greeks who live and work abroad, and who always have Greece in your heart and in your soul. Your advancement and progress in the field that each of you has chosen, makes us very proud.
Easter, the celebration of the brilliant Resurrection of the Lord, is for us Greeks a day of ascension. After the martyrdom of the Passion, death is defeated and the Cross becomes a symbol of hope.
It is this hope that has kept us united and strong over the past year, one of the most difficult years in recent years. Last year we were forced, due to the pandemic that hit the world, to celebrate isolated from our loved ones, away from the all-night services and the observance of local customs that we Greeks especially honour and maintain. It was, however, our duty to do so for our fellow human beings, but also for ourselves. In this difficult time, the hope of victory has kept us afloat.
This Easter, it is time to reap the fruits of this sacrifice. We look forward to spring with optimism and look forward to the summer that will bring us all closer, as we will again have the opportunity to travel and visit our favorite places.
During these Holy Days, our minds can only be on those who faced the unequal battle with the invisible enemy of the pandemic and did not succeed. Unfortunately, the numbers worldwide show that there are many. But we are also grateful to all those on the front lines, to the hospitals, to the medical structures, to the laboratories, giving hope to the sick patients and to all of us who now have the coveted vaccine available, as a passport to a new beginning. With a sense of responsibility, I urge you all to continue to adhere to the safeguards so that we do not bend now that the end of this adventure is near.
Dear compatriot friends,
The word Easter means passage. Passage to a new day, a new beginning. May this Easter for all be the end of the ordeal and the beginning of a new course.
I wish you all a Happy Resurrection with health and joy to you, your families and your loved ones, wherever they are.
