“The Church of Albania had been persecuted, devastated and appeared dead; but it had not died,

“We have been witnesses to your efforts for the unity of the Church, to your labors and struggles. And what we have seen with our own eyes and heard with our own ears, we testify to today with gratitude,

“The Church of Albania had been persecuted, desolate and seemed dead. Its churches and monasteries had been closed, plundered, alienated or destroyed. Worship had been prohibited by law.

“the faithful of Albania are ready to promote peace and the unity of Orthodoxy.

“During these twelve years, the Lord has entrusted Your Beatitude with the care of His flock during extraordinarily difficult trials. Amid all these trials, Your unwavering ministry has been a witness to the undying hope that we find in Christ, who remains the Good Shepherd of His people

“The Church of Alexandria sincerely, wholeheartedly and with one mind supports the inter-Orthodox and interreligious initiatives of Your All-Holiness,

“I prayerfully wish Your Beatitude God’s help in all things. May the All-Good Lord, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother and all the saints, strengthen you in your primatial ministry to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and preserve you in good health for many blessed years!

“Your Beatitude, adorned with the noble labor of monastic life and wise archpastoral ministry, you are for all of us an example of sincere steadfastness in the Truth.