Dear Brothers in Christ, family of the Lord’s Exarchate, and people of God united in the mystical body of his presence – the Church,
Blessed are those who fall asleep in the Lord and awaken in the glory of his Communion of Saints!
The unforeseen health of the Primate BASILIO (Born in Vittoria near Ragusa of Sicily 1937 Consecrated Bishop: 1995 in the Patriarchate of Kiev – serving the Italian Church as Primate under the Patriarchate of Bulgaria from 2009AD+) rapidly declined due to liver, kidney and respiratory complications which Covid 19 crippled – leading the Primate into a state of coma.
Thus, on the 20th day in commemoration of St. Ambrose the bishop of Milan in this month of December within the season of the Lord’s holy Advent, Jesus who is Emmanuel called our Father and Metropolitan Primate his Beatitude Basilio I (Grillo Miceli) home!
Hence, Canon Law prescribes that the most senior and able bodied bishop administers all synodal affairs. Hence, I Metropolitan Exarch RAFFAELE have been assigned Locum Tenens via our intercommunion with the Holy Synod of Western Europe and Canada under the presidency of Metropolitan Primate VOLODYMYR of St. Julius.
The greatest gift we can give to another human person his the gift of presence – the gift of our time. It is a wholehearted act of kindness when we pray for others, especially for those who have no one to consider them via prayer.
May I invite you to pray for the soul of our reposed Metropolitan Primate Basilio – may his memory be eternal!
In Christ who comes to be born in the manger of our hearts and his apostles who witnessed Divine Love amongst us.
+Raffaele
Locum Tenens of the Italian Synod
Metropolitan Archbishop and Exarch.
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