Encyclical Note
Seoul, February 23, 2023
My beloved,
We are all shocked by the terrible tragedy of the great 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria. However, we should not simply watch this sad event with emotional sympathy, but we should also practically show our support to the victims of the earthquake in two ways:
- To pray for the souls of the thousands who have died and for God’s protection for the hundreds of thousands of wounded and the millions of homeless.
- To participate in the fundraiser of love for the relief of our fellow human beings, so that they can slowly find the strength to rebuild and reorganize their lives.
I ask you to offer from your surplus or from your backlog what you can to Christ who is suffering, that is, who is hungry, thirsty, and cold in ruins and under the ruins, in the face of each of our earthquake-stricken brothers.
You will give your offering to your Parish and then from the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea, it will be sent, together with offerings from other Orthodox Metropolises around the world, to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to be given for the relief of the earthquake victims.
Thank you in advance for your kind response,
+ Ambrose of Korea and Exarch of Japan