Response by Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil upon receiving the Order of the Cross of the Holy Sepulchre

Your Beatitude, beloved brother and concelebrant in Christ, Primate of the ancient See of the Jerusalem Patriarchate,

Your Eminences and Graces,

Esteemed Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Israel,

Esteemed Consul of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Palestinian Authority,

Your Excellency, Consul General of the Hellenic Republic in Jerusalem,

Esteemed representatives of diplomatic missions in Jerusalem,

Esteemed representatives of religious communities,

Reverend fathers,

Brothers and sisters,

With deep emotion and gratitude, we thank Your Beatitude for the warm fraternal welcome and for the words with which you have honored us, our accompanying delegation, and the entire Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Our first visit of peace to Holy Zion is an ineffable blessing for us. Here, before awesome Golgotha ​​and the Most Holy Sepulchre, we feel even more deeply that the hope of the Church is founded upon the life-giving Cross and the life-bestowing Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We were particularly moved by your words regarding the centuries-old Christian presence of our Bulgarian people in history. We, in turn, convey to you the love and heartfelt good wishes of the pious flock of our Local Orthodox Church. Today’s meeting at the Mother of All Churches renews the strong spiritual bonds between Jerusalem and Bulgaria. We also extend our gratitude to the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre for its diligent, steadfast, and dedicated service in the places most sacred to the Christian world.

During the feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, we offer special prayers for peace in the Holy Land and throughout the world. May the Lord sustain all those suffering from violence, terrible wars, destruction, insecurity, and fear. May His Cross—that “weapon of peace”—dispel all fear and lead us toward reconciliation, fraternal unity of mind, and the preservation of the Church’s cherished unity.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the distinct honor of receiving from Your Beatitude the Order of the Cross of the Most Holy Sepulchre of the Lord. We accept this sacred distinction with deep gratitude and joy as a token of your fraternal love for us and for the entire pious and Christ-loving flock of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Rest assured that it will always remind us of today’s fraternal meeting and of the communion in Christ shared by our Churches.

Your Beatitude, we pray that the Risen Lord grants you robust health, strength, and long life, and that He strengthens the entire Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre in its sacred ministry. May the God of peace bless Holy Zion, our Churches, and all the peoples of the earth.

Many years to You, Your Beatitude!

Source: Website of the Bulgarian Patriarchate.