Dear Brother Archons and friends of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate:

Christ is risen from the dead, by death, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life.

Today is the day that is the source and summit of our Holy Orthodox Faith: the Holy Resurrection from the dead of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the foundation of all our hope, the goal of all our labors, and the object of all our longing. We rejoice on this day because today is the day of triumph, the day of the final defeat of all evil, and the eternal promise that while in this world, as the Lord told us, we would have tribulation, He has overcome the world (John 16:33). It is by the power of His Cross and Resurrection that we have borne all the trials of the past, and face the challenges ahead with confidence and joy in the Lord.

This is the day that opens for us the way of salvation, and so it is a day on which we should make a special effort to recall all for which we are grateful. Above all, we give thanks to our Risen Savior for the Patriarchal ministry of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, which is now in its fourth decade. His All-Holiness is the longest-serving Ecumenical Patriarch in the history of the Church and one of the most consequential for both the Church and the world, and we are grateful to continue to be blessed by his powerful and prophetic ministry.

We likewise give thanks on this day of rejoicing for another blessing of God to His Church, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. As we look forward to the 47th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate are privileged to have the opportunity to assist and support His Eminence in his sacred ministry. We also give thanks to our God today for the Holy Eparchial Synod and the wise direction of our Spiritual Advisor, Rev. Protopresbyter Alexander Karloutsos.

Meanwhile, we are, as always, continuing our efforts to support and defend our Holy Mother Church of Constantinople, and to protect the future of faith. Just three weeks from now, we will gather in Athens along with our Archon brothers from the world over in order to convene our Fourth International Religious Freedom Conference, emphasizing democracy and human rights in the sovereign governance of nations. In accordance with the guidance of His All-Holiness, this conference will also be the momentous occasion of the very first meeting of Archons from America, Greece, Europe, Canada and Australia.

Before that conference opens on May 25, Archons will present two informative and illuminating webinars. Please make every effort to attend both. On the Saturday of Bright Week, May 11, 2024 at 12 noon ET, the Archon Patriarchal Properties and Legal Issues Committee of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate will present an educational seminar: “The Ecumenical Patriarchate: An Overview of Legal Personality in Türkiye (Turkey) and the Preservation of Greek Community Properties.” Get details here. Then on the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, May 19, at 7PM ET, the Archons and the Orthodox Christian Study Center of Fordham University will present a webinar entitled “Putin, Patriarch Kirill, and the Threat to Global Orthodoxy.” Watch Archons.org for details.

Maria and our entire family join me in wishing all of you and your beloved families a joyous and inspiring Pascha.

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! (English)

Христос воскрес! Воістину воскрес! (Ukrainian)

Хрістос воскрес! Воістину воскрес! (Carpatho-Russian)

!المسيح قام! حقا قام al-Masīḥ qām! Ḥaqqan qām! (Arabic)

Yours in the Lord Risen and Triumphant,