“every bishop bears witness to Christ Crucified and Risen both among his own flock and among those outside the Church

“every bishop, like every layman, is a witness to Christ crucified and risen, and that this witness has to be everywhere and always—among one’s own flock and among the people outside the bounds of the Church.

“an icon and foretaste of the universal resurrection.

“in the Church everyone – from the highest hierarchical ministry to the layperson – is united by the love of Christ, and that each person is a bearer of the grace of the Holy Spirit, which does not dwell in a person automatically but is given in response to a pious life.

“Shared have been the struggles to defend Orthodox doctrine, shared the cup of affliction in difficult times, and shared the witness to the Resurrection to the ends of the earth.

“the fact of the Resurrection is confirmed not only by the texts of the Bible, but also by the testimonies of seventeen secular historians

Mel Gibson ›

Reported

“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 glorification of the saints a testimony to God’s mercy toward His people

Patriarch Daniel ›

Patriarch of Romania

Reported