Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexis II has sent a message of good wishes to Pope Benedict XVI and to the leaders of the other Christian Churches on the occasion of Easter, which is still being celebrated by Christians on different dates: by the Christians of the West (Catholics and Protestants) on Sunday 16 April and by the Christians of the East on Sunday 23. “In expressing my best wishes to you on the occasion of the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ – writes Alexis II – I wish that the Lord may fill your hearts with peace, love and Paschal joy”. The message was sent not only to the Pope, but also to the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the head of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Bishop Wolfgang Huber, the leader of the Lutheran Church in Finland, Archbishop Jukka Paarma, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Samuel Kobia, and the secretary of the Conference of European Churches Colin Williams.
