President Stevo Pendarovski, on the occasion of the New Church Year, sent a letter to His All-Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch.
Your All-Holiness,
It is with great honor that I address you and express my heartfelt wishes on the occasion of the New Church Year.
History teaches us that we must always adapt to the times and use them to benefit the well-being of people. The Ecumenical Patriarchate stands as a testament to how one can remain faithful to values while also being dynamic in facing current challenges.
As the president of my country, I wish to personally inform you that over the past three years, we have decided to use time to our advantage and leave historical disagreements behind us.
I reach out on behalf of a significant portion of my fellow citizens who identify as Orthodox Christians and whose sole desire and need is to reconcile with their neighbors and move towards a common future, towards coexistence, and towards true freedom.
In this direction, I would like to request Your All-Holiness to consider the plea of our devout people and our Church to exercise your appellate authority, which would finally allow our citizens of the Orthodox Christian faith to be equal with all other Orthodox Christians around the world.
I wish you health amid the great uncertainty brought about by the global health crisis.
Stevo Pendarovski
President of the Republic of North Macedonia
