Telegramme to His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos in Constantinople1/1/2005
To His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos in Constantinople
May I submit to the Mother Church my warmest condolences upon the departure of the former Archbishop of America, the late Iakovos, to the Lord at a hoary old age. The departed Hierarch honoured the Church and the nation. He was worthy of the Homeland and of the Hellenic-Orthodox traditions. He will always remain in the memory of all as the Great Defender of the rights of the people, the undoubted leader of our fellow-Greeks in America, the pioneer of the ecumenical movement for the achievement of the unity of Christians. I pray for the eternal repose of his blessed soul among the just and the saints. I am leaving here for New York wishing to attend the Funeral Service.
+Christodoulos of Athens |