On Tuesday, July 29, Archbishop Makarios of Australia warmly received Bishop Vardan Navasardyan, the Bishop of Australia and New Zealand of the Armenian Church, at the headquarters of the Holy Archdiocese in Sydney.
Just one month after arriving and settling on the fifth continent, Bishop Vardan chose the Holy Archdiocese of Australia as the starting point for his official visits, as a mark of respect and appreciation for Archbishop Makarios and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The meeting between the two church leaders took place in an atmosphere of cordiality and mutual respect. They discussed matters of common interest related to pastoral ministry in the diaspora and exchanged ideas and proposals on ways to strengthen bonds of friendship and cooperation.
Archbishop Makarios extended a gracious invitation to Bishop Vardan to attend the upcoming International Academic Conference titled “Nicaea at 1700: A Council for the Ages?”, scheduled for August 22-23, 2025, in Sydney. The conference is organized by the St. Andrew’s Theological School of Sydney and the New South Wales Council of Churches, under the auspices of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia. Bishop Vardan gladly accepted the invitation.
As a token of friendship and in memory of his visit, Bishop Vardan presented Archbishop Makarios with a traditional Armenian embroidery and a bottle of fine wine produced in Armenia.
Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
