Most Reverend Metropolitan Sotirios of Toronto,
Honoured Representatives of the Leaders of this great Land,
Beloved spiritual children of the Church of Christ and of our Modesty,

With great joy and emotion, we extend to you today our warm and cordial greetings, as well as those of the honourable members of our distinguished entourage.

We are filled with this great joy because we commence our visit to the Confederation of Canada, this land of yours which is great in area and expanse, but even greater in kind and generous sentiments to visitors. We come to you from the ancient and historic city of Constantinople, which is the venerable seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the First Throne of the Holy Orthodox Church. We journey to your new country, which is full of visions for the future and peace-loving activities. We feel within us a unique spiritual relationship with you, for we see that we both serve - we, from within the Great and Holy Orthodox Church of Christ; and you, from the great and progressive Canadian Confederation - our fellow man, the cause of peace, friendship, reconciliation and restoration of relations, and in general, the higher spiritual culture of man. This is the culture of service and love; of equality and justice; of creativity and progress, which are in opposition to the inhuman reality of plunder and hate; of oppression and injustice; of destuction and retrogression, which are unfortunately still encountered in our world.

We come to you offering a message, which is at the same time ancient as well as new, but always contemporary. It is the message of love and cooperation between people, above and beyond any differences between them, which was proclaimed almost two thousand years ago, peacefully changing human hearts and creating peaceful societies, of which a beautiful example comprises the patient and positively reconciling Canadian entity.


Your love and respect caresses my heart, and our paternal love embraces all of you. We will have ample opportunity during our stay in your country to meet together, and to exchange experiences and ideas, and to mutually benefit in the struggle to do good, which we all must undertake and are obliged to continue.

We extend our Patriarchal blessings to all, as well as our gratitude for your gracious and cordial welcome and your kind words, which have sprung forth from within you spontaneously as from a fountain. They have been transformed to words of praise and glory to God, who has created man "very good" and capable of feeling the love of his fellow human beings. This agape is the cause of our greatest joy and satisfaction in our lives. Glory to God for our meeting and our reciprocal love, and for all the benefits you have richly bestowed upon us.