PASTORAL ENCYCLICAL ON THE CREMATION OF THE DEAD
PAVLOS, BY THE GRACE OF GOD
METROPOLITAN OF THE MOST HOLY METROPOLIS OF SERVIA AND KOZANI
PAVLOS, BY THE GRACE OF GOD
METROPOLITAN OF THE MOST HOLY METROPOLIS OF SERVIA AND KOZANI
Sunday of Orthodoxy 2026
To the pious clergy and the devout and saint-loving people of our Sacred Metropolis.
My beloved spiritual children,
Taking the opportunity given to us by this Sunday, on which the Feast of Orthodoxy is celebrated, we will attempt, with unity of heart, to convey to your good hearts and Christ-centered minds a few theological, spiritual, and scriptural reflections concerning the issue of the cremation of the dead.
In order to approach this timely subject, we must first consider what man is. The Old Testament emphatically notes the importance and greatness of man in comparison with the rest of creation. God created everything through His word — “He spoke and it came to be” — in five days: first heaven, earth, and the billions of stars; then plants, animals, birds, reptiles, and the whole irrational creation. On the sixth day He created man, not merely by His word, but with the participation of His Son and Word and of the Holy Spirit. The entire Holy Trinity was Creator in the making of man, as is stated in the Book of Genesis:
“Let Us make man according to Our image and likeness. Let him rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and over everything that moves upon the earth” (Gen. 1:26–27).
My beloved spiritual children,
Taking the opportunity given to us by this Sunday, on which the Feast of Orthodoxy is celebrated, we will attempt, with unity of heart, to convey to your good hearts and Christ-centered minds a few theological, spiritual, and scriptural reflections concerning the issue of the cremation of the dead.
In order to approach this timely subject, we must first consider what man is. The Old Testament emphatically notes the importance and greatness of man in comparison with the rest of creation. God created everything through His word — “He spoke and it came to be” — in five days: first heaven, earth, and the billions of stars; then plants, animals, birds, reptiles, and the whole irrational creation. On the sixth day He created man, not merely by His word, but with the participation of His Son and Word and of the Holy Spirit. The entire Holy Trinity was Creator in the making of man, as is stated in the Book of Genesis:
“Let Us make man according to Our image and likeness. Let him rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and over everything that moves upon the earth” (Gen. 1:26–27).
