The three-day proceedings of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese of Australia concluded successfully, having taken place from October 22 to 24 under the chairmanship of Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
One of the key outcomes of the Synod was the establishment of a committee tasked with translating the Archdiocese’s Constitution into English. Once completed, the English text will undergo synodal review before being submitted to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for final approval.
Additionally, the Synod established various synodal committees, along with the local Episcopal courts and their members.
An important decision was also made regarding preaching in the Church: it was resolved that only clergy may preach. In exceptional cases, laypeople may be allowed to preach, but only with written permission from the Synod.
Archbishop Makarios of Australia conveyed the warm wishes of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the bishops in attendance and provided updates on the current issues and initiatives of the local Church.
Read the full announcement below:
The proceedings of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese of Australia, which convened in Sydney from the 22nd to the 24th of October 2024, were completed under the presidency of Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
During this session, Archbishop Makarios conveyed the warm wishes and blessings of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, to the God-loving Bishops and informed them about current issues and initiatives of the local Church. Subsequently, all items on the Agenda were discussed, and the following announcements are made:
1. A committee has been established for the translation of the Constitution into English, under the supervision of Bishop Silouan of Adelaide, and with the participation of Bishop Elpidios of Perth, Bishop Evmenios of Chora, Bishop Bartholomew of Brisbane, the Undersecretary of the Eparchial Synod, Archdeacon Athinagoras Karakonstantakis, and the distinguished Mr Philip Kariatlis, Sub-Dean of St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College. The English text will be subject to synodical consultation and will subsequently be submitted to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for final approval.
2. The following Synodal Committees have been established: a) On Inter-Orthodox, Inter-Christian, and Interfaith Relations, b) On Legal and Canonical Issues and the relationship between Church and State, c) On Theological and Greek education and the Orthodox cultural heritage, d) On Christian marriage and the family, e) On Youth, f) On charitable and philanthropic institutions, g) On divine worship and ecclesiastical music, h) On external missionary work, i) On pastoral and catechetical work, j) On the utilisation of Church property, k) On church construction and Christian art, l) On bioethics and contemporary social issues, m) On publications and translations, n) On protocol and event management, o) On the preparation of the ecclesiastical calendar. The Presidents and Members of the committees will be assigned following the appointment of the Bishop to the Holy Diocese of Canberra.
3. The local Episcopal Courts have been established, with the following members appointed:
A. For the Archiepiscopal District of Sydney: President: The Chancellor. Members: Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne Eusebios Pantanassiotis, and Presbyter Timothy Klinstaris. Alternate Members: Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne Amphilohios Papantoniou, and Protopresbyter Stavros Ivanos.
B. For the Holy Diocese of Canberra: President: The Chancellor of the Archdiocese. Members: Protopresbyter Petros Kipouros, and Dimitrios Katsis. Alternate Members: Presbyter Agathangelos Masteas, and Presbyter Kyriakos Theologou.
C. For the Holy Diocese of Melbourne: President: Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne. Members: Protopresbyter Elias Kentrotis and Protopresbyter Dimitrios Catrinei. Alternate Members: Protopresbyter Chris Dimolianis, and Reverend Presbyter George Adamakis.
D. For the Holy Diocese of Perth: President: Bishop Elpidios of Perth. Members: Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Emmanuel Stamatiou, and Presbyter John Athanasiou. Alternate Members: Presbyter Evangelos Battalis, and Presbyter Eleftherios Gerovasilis.
E. For the Holy Diocese of Adelaide: President: Bishop Silouan of Adelaide. Members: Protopresbyter Nicholas Pavlou, and Presbyter Panayiotis Photakis. Alternate Members: Presbyter Panayiotis Kouvoussis, and John Saredakis.
F. For the Holy Diocese of Brisbane: President: Bishop Bartholomew of Brisbane. Members: Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Dimitri Tsakas, and Presbyter Nicholas Brown. Alternate Members: Presbyter Stavros Karvelas, and Presbyter Athanasios Athanasiadis.
G. For the Holy Diocese of Chora: President: Bishop Evmenios of Chora. Members: Archimandrite Ierotheos Kourtesis, and Presbyter Haralambos Vezos. Alternate Members: Protopresbyter Jordan Krikelis, and Presbyter Demos Nicolaou.
4. After a thorough discussion regarding the presence of lay preachers in the Holy Churches of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, it was unanimously decided that henceforth the canonical order of the Church be observed, meaning that preaching should be done only by clergy. In cases where there are special reasons, our lay brothers may preach in the Church during the Divine Liturgy or other Services only if they have written permission from the Holy Eparchial Synod.
5. Finally, gratitude and appreciation are expressed once again both from Archbishop Makarios and the God-loving Bishops under him to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, for his honourable presence in the Fifth Continent on the occasion of the centenary of the establishment of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia. We all cherish the fond memories of the blessed presence of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Australia and pray that our Patriarch may have many more years to continue his esteemed Patriarchal ministry to the glory of God. For the love and overwhelming participation of our people in the worship and other events, the Holy Eparchial Synod will issue a Synodal Encyclical, which will express the gratitude of the Local Church and will be read on the forthcoming Sunday, October 27, 2024.
