TELEGRAM OF THE PRESIDENT

OF

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TO

THE COUNCIL OF BISHOPS

OF THE

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OUTSIDE OF RUSSIA

I am honored to have this opportunity to extend warm greetings to the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad as you gather in Montreal.

You deserve the highest commendation for your efforts in support of the return of religious and civil freedom to the Russian people. Your work furthers the interests of all members of the human family, because it is inspired by faith in the Creator and by the desire for liberty that burns in the hearts of every man, woman, and child on earth.

The values you hold aid in the preservation of your own great heritage and in the strengthening of religious principles within each nation where your Church is located. In safeguarding the wondrous beauty and timeless grandeur of the ancient faith and culture of your motherland, you provide all mankind with the hope that this magnificent institution will one day be restored to its former place in the life of the Russian nation and people.

You have my best wishes for your meeting and continued success in all your efforts.

Ronald Reagan

9-11-1985

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TELEGRAM OF THANKS TO PRESIDENT REAGAN,

EPISTLE OF THE SOBOR OF BISHOPS OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ABROAD

Deeply-respected Mr. President!

The bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, who have come from every continent to assemble in council, were deeply touched by your words of greeting and ask you to accept the expression of their gratitude.

While we are honored by the attention you have shown us, we value still more your grasp of the situation of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian people who have suffered since 1917 under the yoke of atheistic communism. Millions and millions of martyred clergy and faithful from different social strata appeal to our Lord, but we rarely see such profound understanding on the part of government authorities as we have encountered from you.

In thanking you with all our heart, we pray that the Lord will preserve you in good health and strengthen you in your endeavors which have such importance for the United States and the whole world. May the Lord confer His blessing upon you in that position in which He placed you in order to fulfill His divine will.

Metropolitan Philaret

President of the Sobor of Bishops

of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad

Bishop Gregory,

Secretary, Sobor of Bishops

Orthodox Life, No. 4, 1985, p. 32f.