To His Holiness
Moran Mar Ignatius Zakka I Iwas
Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the EastAs you prepare to celebrate the Twenty-fifth anniversary of your election and enthronement as Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, I send you my warmest congratulations and prayerful good wishes.
I thank the Lord for the many blessings he has bestowed on the Syrian Orthodox Church, through your apostolic ministry. I am particularly grateful for your commitment to the promotion of Christian unity, both in the Middle East and throughout the world. Since the time of the Second Vatican Council, which you attended as an observer, you have been involved in promoting fraternal relations with the Catholic Church, as witnessed by the Common Declaration, jointly signed in 1984 by Your Holiness and the late Pope John Paul II.
Looking to the future, it is my fervent hope and prayer that God will bless your efforts and those of all Christian leaders in facing together the significant human and pastoral needs of the faithful. May the Almighty protect his beloved flock living in a region so deeply marked by the history of salvation.
On this happy anniversary, I pray that the blessings of the Triune God may rest upon Your Holiness: that the love of God the Father may enfold you, the wisdom of the Son enlighten you and the fire of the Holy Spirit continue to fill your heart.
With fraternal affection I assure you of my closeness in prayer.
From Castel Gandolfo, 24 August 2005, Feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle.
Letter of His Holiness the Pope of Rome to
His Holiness Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas
on his Silver Jubilee