هذا العام في عيد الفصح المجيد 2020 وبسبب الأوضاع الراهنة وتفشي جائحة فيروس كوبيد 19, أقر رؤساء الكنائس في المدينة المقدسة اورشليم اتفاقًا مشتركًا على عدم تبادل الزيارات التقليدية التي تتبعها الكنائس لتهنئة بعضها بمناسبة الأعياد , وبالتالي قام غبطة البطريرك كيريوس كيريوس ثيوفيلوس الثالث بتسليم رسائل المعايدة بشكل خاص مع تمنيات عيد الفصح إلى حارس الأراضي المقدسة الأب فرانسيسكو باتون, غبطة البطريرك اللاتيني في القدس بيرباتيستا بيتسابالا, غبطة البطريرك الأرمني في القدس نورهان مانوكيان, ونيافة رئيس أساقفة الكنيسة الأنجليكانية في القدس المطران سهيل دواني.
الرسائل باللغة الإنجليزية
His Paternity Fr. Francesco Patton
Custos of the Holy Land
Saint Saviour’s Monastery
Your Paternity, dear Fr. Francesco,
We greet you with deep joy, and with the Paschal hymn
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling down death by death
And to those in the tomb, bestowing life
and We wish to extend to you Our prayers and best wishes as you celebrate the Easter Feast.
We give thanks to Almighty God that, notwithstanding the present difficult circumstances of the coronavirus, our Brotherhoods have been able to celebrate the Great Holy Week and Pascha in the empty All-Holy and Life-Giving Tomb of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and all the Holy Places, to the benefit of the Church and our people.
Despite all the restrictions and all the distressing circumstances surrounding the present crisis, our common martyria to the resurrection of Jesus Christ has been of paramount significance for our communities here in the Holy City of Jerusalem, as well as our fellow brothers and sisters of the other Abrahamic faiths.
We rejoice in this common witness, and we are thankful to you and your Fraternity for your steadfast commitment to our common mission as guardians of the Holy Places, which continues to bear fruit in this difficult present moment, and “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,” (Ephesians 4:13). Despite this time of crippling restrictions, we are still able to maintain our important relations for the good of all.
We join in prayer for all those who continue to be affected by the pandemic, especially the sick and all those who care for them. And we remember all who have passed away and those who mourn them. Μay those who carry the yoke of our Lord find rest in their souls (Matt. 11:29).
Your Excellency, We extend the assurance of Our prayers for you, your brothers in Christ, and your community in this Paschal season, and We look forward to meeting again in our Christian fellowship.
H.E. Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa
Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate
Your Excellency, dear Archbishop Pizzaballa,
We greet you with deep joy, and with the Paschal hymn
Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And to those in the tomb, bestowing life.
We wish to congratulate you on your celebration of Easter, and we give thanks to God that our respective communities have been able to keep the Great Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In spite of the enormous difficulties posed by the coronavirus pandemic, we have been able to enter into this great mystery of our faith in our Holy City, in the empty Tomb in the Church of the Anastasis, at the very heart of the divine-human encounter.
We have experienced once again that Christ is the way, the truth, the life, and the resurrection, for he who believes in Him, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in Him shall never die (John 11:24-25).
We are living through these days joined in prayers of both our Churches, and in our common martyria here in the Holy Land. We pray especially for all those in our region and around the world who continue to suffer from the pandemic and its consequences, and we pray fervently for those who have passed away and all who mourn them. Μay those who carry the yoke of our Lord find rest in their souls (Matt. 11:29).
In our united prayer above all we continue to serve our Lord and his Church both here in the Holy City of Jerusalem as well as the Church and all its faithful the world over. For Jerusalem has been throughout the ages, and remains today, the harbour of hope, peace, and of consolation.
We wish to extend you, Your Excellency, the assurance of our prayers for you, your clergy, and your community this Paschal season, and we look forward to meeting again in our Christian fellowship.
His Beatitude
Archbishop Nourhan
Armenian Patriarch in Jerusalem
Your Beatitude, dear Archbishop Nourhan,
We greet you with deep joy, and with the Paschal hymn
Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And to those in the tomb, bestowing life
and we congratulate you and your community as you celebrate the Great Feast of Pascha.
This difficult and complicated situation of restrictions and hardship that so many are enduring makes us realise how crucial is our common mission as guardians and servants of the Holy Places, especially during this sacred period where we venerate Golgotha and the All-Holy and Life-Giving Tomb from where our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected. We have been entrusted with this responsibility by Divine Providence, and it is incumbent upon us to enact this sacred trust in all humility and diligence in true collaboration. Let us, as Saint Paul says, “make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).
We join with you in keeping in our fervent prayers all those who are affected in any way by this pandemic, especially the sick and those who care for them, and we remember all who have passed away. Μay those who mourn be consoled by the promise of the resurrection.
Your Beatitude, We assure you of our prayers for you, your Brotherhood, and the community that you serve. We wish you from the bottom of our heart both spiritual and bodily health, and look forward to meeting and joining our prayers for the strengthening of both our fellowship and of our common mission and witness in the Holy Places.
Μay the light of the resurrection fill the hearts and minds of all people of good will in this holy Paschal season.
he Most Reverend Suheil Dawani
The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem
& the Middle East
Saint George’s Cathedral
Your Grace, dear Archbishop Suheil,
We greet you with deep joy, and with the Paschal hymn
Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And to those in the tomb, bestowing life
and We send our warm congratulations as you and your community celebrate Easter.
We are united in celebrating the Paschal Feast at a time of great difficulty for our Holy City, the Holy Land, and our world. The coronavirus pandemic has meant tremendous hardship for so many, and Jerusalem, usually overflowing with pilgrims and local faithful at this time of year, is practically deserted.
However, we have been able to keep the sacred ceremonies of the Great Holy Week and Easter in the All-Holy and Life-Giving Tomb in our respective Churches, and have been able to share a common martyria to the truth and power of the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for He is the resurrection and the life, and he who believes in Him, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in him shall never die (John 11:24-25). In this way, we have been able to show the world that Jerusalem remains a harbour of hope, peace, and consolation in a challenging time for the human family.
We join our prayers with yours, particularly for all those who are affected by the pandemic, the sick and those who care for them, as well as for those who have passed away and all who mourn.
We wish to extend to you, dear Archbishop Suheil, the assurance of our prayers for you and your family, your clergy, and your community in this Paschal season, and We look forward to meeting again in our Christian fellowship.
With our Patriarchal wishes for Pascha,
Christ is Risen!
THEOPHILOS III
PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM
Holy City of Jerusalem
Pascha 2020