On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the invasion of the Turkish military troops in Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios of Australia performed exequies after he presided the Divine Liturgy on July 21, at the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady Theotokos in Sydney.
There also attended the Cypriot Presidential Commissioner Fotis Fotiou, the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia, Mrs. Martha Mavrommati and the Ambassador of Greece to Australia, Ms. Ekaterini Xagorari.
In his sermon, the Archbishop referred to the tragedy of Cyprus and wished that with the passage of time we shall not end up to forget this injustice which was carried out at the expense of our Nation in magnificent Cyprus.
The Archbishop of Australia also referred with compassion to the 200,000 refugees who were forced to leave their homelands, commemorating the late Archbishop and President of Cyprus Makarios III, the 4,000 dead and the 1,619 missing.
Last but not least, the Archbishop urged the attendees not to forget the pain of the people who lost not only their relatives and friends, but also their homes and their land.