A meeting was held between Archbishop Makarios of Australia and the Ambassador of Israel to Australia, Amir Maimon at the Archdiocesan Residence in Sydney.
The meeting, which lasted two hours, was warm and in a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation, the agenda of the discussions between the two men included issues of common interest. The Ambassador of Israel, who has recently been appointed in Canberra taking up his new duties, also expressed the desire to meet the Archbishop, in order to exchange views on current issues of concern to Australia and the wider world community in general, such as the war in Ukraine.
In addition, Archbishop Makarios of Australia had the opportunity to refer to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the leading role of Patriarch Bartholomew as the head of the Orthodox Church, while he did not fail to mention the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, whose seat is in Israel.
At the same time, Archbishop Makarios described to the guest of honor, the structure and the operation of the Archdiocese as well as the contribution of the Greek Diaspora to the fifth Continent. The Ambassador, for his part, stressed the historical ties that unite Greece and Israel and characteristically underlined that “in Australia, we all try to build bridges of unity and mutual support.”
The meeting ended with a dinner, which was offered by Archbishop Makarios in honor of Mr. Amir Maimon. It should be noted that the meeting was also attended by Bishop Bartholomew of Charioupolis, Archiepiscopal Vicar of Canberra, and the Chancellor of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, Father Christophoros Krekelis, Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne.
