Archbishop Makarios of Australia had a cordial and constructive meeting with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in Athens on Wednesday, April 3.
The meeting took place at the Maximou Mansion, where the Archbishop was warmly welcomed by the Greek Prime Minister, who expressed a keen interest in being informed about the life of the Greek Diaspora and the Orthodox Church in Australia.
On this occasion, Mr. Mitsotakis congratulated the Archbishop on the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and asked him to convey his best wishes to the hospitable people of the Fifth Continent.
He also expressed his full support for the Holy Archdiocese, praising its multidimensional work, and personally for Archbishop Makarios for his hospitable and dynamic pastorate for Hellenism. He expressed special gratitude for the decisive contribution of the Orthodox Church in maintaining and deepening the relationship of the Greek Diaspora with the Motherland.
For his part, the Archbishop of Australia acknowledged the undivided interest shown by the Greek government, through a series of measures and initiatives, for the Hellenism of the Fifth Continent and for the Greeks living abroad in general. In this context, he thanked Mr. Mitsotakis for the recent legislative initiative to introduce postal voting for European and national referenda, a measure that will facilitate the unhindered exercise of the right to vote by Greek voters who are far from home.
Finally, the Archbishop wished the Prime Minister of Greece well in the exercise of his duties, while both agreed to maintain a constant channel of communication and cooperation in order to respond as effectively as possible to the needs of the Greek Diaspora in Australia.
Translated by: Ioanna Georgakopoulou
