“the Church does not seek to provide easy answers to the mystery of death, but instead stands beside those who mourn and offers them the hope of the Resurrection.

“For a Christian, death is not annihilation, describing it as a passage from time into eternity. Even amid grief, the light of the Resurrection remains burning.

“The Dormition is not the end; it is a passage into the fullness of life in Christ,

“not to corruption, but to life; not to despair, but to Resurrection; not to isolation, but to eternal communion in the Kingdom.

“the Church does not regard this moment as one of despair, but as a testimony to the victory of life

“the Dormition is not simply a translation to heaven, but a passage from earthly, perishable life to an incorruptible existence

Patriarch Daniel ›

Direct quote

“We learn many things from the discreet way in which the Mother of God lived her life, but through her Dormition, the Church teaches us that, although she has departed, she has nevertheless not abandoned us

“their story illustrates that death is like sleep, from which the faithful will awaken at the Last Judgment.