[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 15 (Monday, April 19, 1999)]
[Pages 627-628]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Observance of Orthodox Easter

April 11, 1999

    I wish to send a warm message of greetings today to the 6 million 
Orthodox Christian Americans and the quarter-billion Orthodox Christians 
around the world, as they gather to proclaim that ``Christ has Risen.''
    I know the feeling of joy that comes on Easter Sunday, when we 
celebrate the miracle of Jesus' Resurrection and His gift to

[[Page 628]]

us of eternal life. Yet I also understand that on this particular Easter 
Sunday, the joy Orthodox Christians feel may be mixed with other 
emotions: with sadness over the tragic events in and around Kosovo; and 
with fear for those whose lives may still be in danger. The majority of 
those forced from Kosovo in the last 2 weeks are Muslim, but among them 
are Catholics and Orthodox Christians, too. Our hearts and prayers must 
go out to all who have suffered. We hope and pray for the restoration of 
peace and a resolution based on democracy and tolerance.
    On this holiest of days, when Orthodox Christians celebrate the 
triumph of life over death, of hope over despair, let us recommit to 
seeking peace, human rights, and an end to suffering for people around 
the world.