With words of profound emotion, Archbishop Makarios of Australia bid farewell to the late Metropolitan Theoleptos of Iconium, describing him as a Hierarch who dedicated his entire life to the service of the Great Church of Christ and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The Archbishop characterized the Metropolitan’s sudden repose as “a bolt from the blue,” noting that Metropolitan Theoleptos “did not live in vain,” since “he offered his entire being to Christ and to His Great Church,” leaving behind “a shining example for those who follow.”
Reflecting on his long ecclesiastical ministry, Archbishop Makarios emphasized that the late Hierarch was a genuine Phanariot, wholly devoted to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. As he noted, “he never claimed, never asked, never demanded anything,” but worked quietly and selflessly for the benefit of the Church.
The Archbishop also highlighted his character, describing him as “a faithful and sincere friend” who knew “how to comfort the sorrowful” and “to love all and bring bitterness to none.”
Archbishop Makarios further referred to their personal friendship, recalling that many in Australia remember the late Metropolitan from his participation in the Clergy-Laity Congress of the Archdiocese, where “he won everyone’s affection and brought comfort to all.”
Concluding his tribute, the Archbishop stressed that Metropolitan Theoleptos’ repose serves as a reminder that “it is urgent to love,” since “we do not know when we shall depart.” He expressed his conviction that the late Hierarch can now boldly confess the words of the Apostle Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Read the full text here:
The effort of all of us “who are still alive and remain” (cf. 1 Thess. 4:17), after the unexpected death of a beloved person, to utter words of consolation and comfort, or even to write a few lines as a counterweight to the corrosive action of time, always comes face to face with the unchanging and final reality of life’s end. Our reason is shattered before the “formless” and “breathless” state of the dead body, and the heart refuses to accept that “vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Eccl. 1:2).
Our brother Metropolitan Theoleptos of Iconium has departed for the heavenly Jerusalem, and his repose was untimely and unexpected, like a summer storm that arrives where one least expects it—of rare intensity and with a sweeping passage. A bolt from the blue, as one might say. A familiar expression, perhaps even an outdated one, yet such is the way the “fatal message” strikes like lightning, making one realise that the brother with whom, only the day before yesterday, one was sharing thoughts and concerns in the Hall of the Throne, now gazes upon you from the heavenly and abiding homeland.
And now, as one wanders in the marshland of grief… what now? Once again the questions come, relentless and overwhelming. Now, like a rushing river, there overflowed within me the need to write these simple words and to offer, humbly, perhaps the obvious truth: that our brother Metropolitan Theoleptos did not live in vain; that not everything is vanity; that not all things end before the gaping and threatening grave. Theoleptos of Iconium—the Constantinopolitan by birth and upbringing, the genuine Phanariot, the steadfast Hierarch of the Great Church of Christ, the stature of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, quiet and humble yet noble, innocent and guileless as a child—did not live in vain, because he offered his entire being to Christ and to His Great Church, leaving behind a shining example for those who follow.
One of the few and yet countless servants of the Phanar, Theoleptos of Iconium lived in the Phanar, lived the Phanar, and lived for the Phanar. His entire existence, from childhood onward, was bound to the Phanar and to our Patriarch, beside whom he was nurtured and matured, and from whose sanctified hands he received the grace of the episcopacy in order to serve the Great Church from that position. His entire course and ministry at the Patriarchate were quiet and unassuming. He always worked for the benefit of the Church and never for himself. Completely devoted to the Patriarch, he never claimed, never asked, never demanded anything. Even when words and actions wronged and saddened him, he remained silent and prayed.
He was a faithful and sincere friend, beloved throughout the Patriarchal Court, a refuge for clergy who sought his counsel and honoured him with their trust. He knew how to bring rest to the burdened, comfort to the sorrowful, correction to the wayward, love to all, and bitterness to none, just as he had learned from the spacious heart of our Patriarch, who today mourns the temporary loss not only of a distinguished Hierarch but also of a faithful and devoted son.
Metropolitan Theoleptos of Iconium, betrayed by his heart, a heart that loved Romiosyne, the Phanar, and the Patriarch so deeply, has fallen silent forever. Yet his silence, eloquent and resonant, teaches us that the example of the truly great does not fade away but becomes a beacon illuminating lofty and noble things.
I was blessed to be honoured for many years, revered brother Theoleptos, by your trust and friendship, just as you loved and honoured my immediate predecessor, Archbishop Stylianos. All here in Australia remember you from your presence at the Clergy-Laity Congress of our Archdiocese. Then, you won everyone’s affection and brought comfort to all. Today, all mourn.
From the distant Fifth Continent, I too mourn your repose and place these humble flowers of words upon your bier as a tribute of remembrance. I kiss your honourable and most pure brow and beseech you to pray also for us before the Lord of Life and Death. You can now boldly confess: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me on that Day” (2 Tim. 4:7–8).
Your death reminds us and teaches us that it is urgent to love, because we do not know when we shall depart. And when we do depart, may people at least remember our love.
Sydney, 19 June 2026
† Archbishop Makarios of Australia
