May the light which led the Magi to the cave, where the Divine Child was born, lead all of you to Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Nationalistic ideas have no place in our Antiochian Orthodox Church. Our Church is Antiochian. It is not Greek, or Lebanese, or Russian, or Syrian, or Palestinian. All people who believe in our Orthodox Church teaching, are Antiochian Orthodox, irrespective of their origin.

Any member who enters the sanctuary of any Antiochian Orthodox Church must leave his or her nationality outside the door of our churches. There is no holy language, and no holy country. There is only the Holy Orthodox Church, the One Holy Bride of Christ.

Saint Paul the Apostle taught 'there is no Jew or Greek, no free or slave, no male or female, for all are equal in Christ Jesus', our God (Galatians 3:28).

I hope all our faithful will heed our Church teachings, praying to the Incarnate Divine Child, to send His star upon all of us, lighting our way, to glorify His Church in this suffering world.

+ Paul

Metropolitan Archbishop of Australia and New Zealand