Your Eminence,
Kindly accept my cordial congratulations on your appointment as President of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Your appointment as President of this Council is an act of recognition of the considerable contribution the Community of St. Egidio has made in the strengthening of Christian family values in the European society. It is my conviction that your experience will help make the work of the Council ever more effective and noticeable.
You are a long-standing sincere friend of the Russian Orthodox Church. Through your personal efforts, representatives of our Church together with the Community of St. Egidio have participated in many international initiatives aimed at defending peace and developing inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue. I am confident that with your appointment this cooperation will not only continue but also become ever more close and fruitful.
I wish you peace, good health, spiritual strength and God’s help in your new and very important service.
With love in the Lord,
+ Hilarion
Metropolitan of Volokolamsk
Chairman
Department for External Church Relations
Moscow Patriarchate