His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia
Episcopal Encyclical for Holy Saturday
April 11, 2026
Dear fathers and brothers in Christ,
dear children,
Christ is risen!
With this Paschal cry echoing through the centuries, the Orthodox Church of the East proclaims today the greatest and saving event of our faith — the Resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ.
This is not merely a historical event, but the very victory over death, the victory of light over darkness, and the victory of love over sin.
The mystery of the Resurrection was not unexpected — it was foretold by the Old Testament prophets. The Prophet David says: “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”
The Prophet Hosea proclaims: “On the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.”
The Prophet Jonah, who spent three days in the belly of the great fish, serves as a prototype of the Lord’s three-day burial and Resurrection.
The fulfillment of these prophecies is revealed in the Holy Gospels. The Myrrh-bearing women come to the tomb and hear the joyful tidings: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here — He is risen.”
The Evangelist Matthew describes the earthquake and the descent of the angel; Mark — the amazement and fear; Luke — the fear turning into faith; John — the personal encounter with the risen Christ.
The Resurrection is not just a return to life, but a transformation of human nature itself. As Athanasius the Great teaches, Christ assumed human nature to renew it and, through the Resurrection, to destroy death and corruption.
Saint John Chrysostom proclaims: “Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen; Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice; Christ is risen, and life reigns.”
Saint Gregory the Theologian sees in the Resurrection the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation. Christ triumphs over death for all of humanity.
Saint Maximos the Confessor teaches that the Resurrection opens the way to human deification — participation in the life of God.
The Resurrection does not only concern the past or the future — it transforms the present. It is the answer to the anxiety of modern man in a world marked by fear, uncertainty, and pain. It is the certainty that evil and death do not have the final word.
In a world marked by war, injustice, and spiritual confusion, the Resurrection becomes light and hope. It reminds humanity of its calling: to live in Christ, to love, to forgive, and to overcome selfishness.
The Resurrection calls us to personal renewal. To step out of the graves of sin and fear. To put off the old man and put on the new — created according to God.
The empty tomb is not an absence, but a presence. It witnesses that Christ is with us always, even unto the end of the age. His Resurrection is the beginning of our own and the guarantee of eternal life.
Let us preserve this joy not merely as a feeling, but as a way of life. Let us become witnesses of the Resurrection in the world — by bringing light into the darkness, hope into despair, and love where hatred reigns.
With heartfelt Paschal greetings,
† Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia
