The fifth anniversary of the election of Archbishop Makarios of Australia was celebrated with ecclesiastical splendor at the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation in Sydney on Thursday, May 9.
It was on this same day in 2019 that the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate unanimously elected Archbishop Makarios as the sixth Shepherd of the Church in Australia. Since then, this day has been a source of joy and gladness for the Holy Clergy and the hospitable people of the Fifth Continent.
Thus, this year, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Archbishop’s election, Bishops Iakovos of Militoupolis, Christodoulos of Magnesia, and Bartholomew of Charioupolis, many clergy from the city of Sydney and other cities of Australia, as well as a multitude of pious faithful, were present to offer their heartfelt greetings to their Pastor. Archbishop Makarios, who presided at the Divine Liturgy in memory of St. Christophoros the Great Martyr, thanked everyone for their presence, visibly moved by the expressions of respect and love for him.
He also extended his best wishes to the Protosyncellus of the Holy Archdiocese, Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne, Christophoros Krikelis, whom he ordained confessor at the end of the Divine Liturgy. Referring to the power granted by the Church to “bind and loose” sins, he spoke of an enormous spiritual power received by priests that even angels do not possess. “In a sense, this is a blessing from God to man,” he pointed out, “because forgiveness is given by people with weaknesses, faults, and passions, who know what it means to have the human tendency to sin. In this way, every person who has the same nature and the same inclination can understand the other person, why he or she has fallen into sin”.
In addition, the Archbishop praised the virtues and ethos of the Archbishop, noting, among other things, that his ministry is humble, quiet, and unassuming, while at the same time characterized by a spirit of sacrifice and devotion to the Church and his Archbishop. He even held up the example of Fr. Christophoros as a model for all those who undertake ministries within the Church. “Let each one dedicate himself to the ministry entrusted to him by the Church,” he urged, continuing: “To do what the Church asks of us, and God will bless us. And the rest will come. It will come beautifully joyfully and solemnly. And it will all be from God, so it will be of great value. Because whatever does not come from God and we try to get it by force, by human force alone, by human pressure, by human reasoning, know that it is not blessed. And that is why you will see people, even in the Church, who have many things, but they do not have spiritual peace and spiritual joy. So do your ministry, holy Archbishop, as you have been doing, with love, sacrifice, humility, and dedication, and God will bless your life and your perspective in the Church.
It is noted that on the feast of St. Christopher, Archbishop Makarios performed a Trisagion for the repose of the soul of the first Pastor of the Fifth Continent, the Most Reverend Bishop Christophoros of Australia and New Zealand. “He was one of the outstanding hierarchical personalities of the last century,” he noted, referring to his late predecessor, adding that “unfortunately, Australia was in a difficult situation at the time and was not able to understand the personality of this great Hierarch as much as it should have”. Recalling his studies at the Theological School of Halki, but also at the University of Oxford, as well as his service at the Patriarchal Court and his pastorate in the Holy Metropolis of Serres, he pointed out that the late Metropolitan Christophoros worked in Australia with few resources and under adverse conditions, and yet he managed to lay the foundations for the building of a Church that today occupies a prominent position in the Orthodox world.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
