On Wednesday, October 9, the clergy and presbyteres of the Archdiocesan District of Sydney and the Holy Diocese of Canberra hosted a dinner in honor of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in the hall of the Parish-Community of the Resurrection of Christ, in the suburb of Kogarah, Sydney.
Attending the dinner were Archbishop Makarios of Australia, members of the Patriarchal entourage, including Metropolitans Kyrillos of Imbros and Tenedos and Philotheos of Thessaloniki, the Grand Protosyncellus Gregory, the Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Patriarchal Private Office, Patriarchal Deacon Eulogios, Codifier of the Holy and Sacred Synod, Nun Iakovi, Abbess of the Holy Monastery of St. John the Forerunner in Akrithochori, Konstantinos Delikostantis, Archon Teacher of the Nation and Director of the First Patriarchal Office, Theodoros Giangou, Archon Teacher of the Church and Professor at the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Nikolaos-Georgios Papachristou, Director of the Patriarchal Press and Communications Office, and Themistoklis Karanikolas, from the Patriarchal staff. Also present were Metropolitans Ezekiel of Dervis, Seraphim of Sebasteia, and Bishops of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia.
The Ecumenical Patriarch was warmly welcomed with words of filial love, respect, and admiration by the Chancellor of the Holy Archdiocese, Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne Christoforos Krikelis. His address included heartfelt thanks, on behalf of the clergy of the local Church, for all the benefactions of the Holy Center towards its spiritual children on this fifth continent, as well as for the inspiration that the Ecumenical Patriarch provides to the clergy and the faithful through his initiatives and countless accomplishments. He expressed hope that the Ecumenical Patriarch’s experiences during the early days of his visit to Australia brought him feelings of joy and delight, as he witnessed a vibrant and spiritually thriving Church. He also noted that this vibrancy is largely due to the Mother Church’s decision 2019 to send Archbishop Makarios to the Antipodes, who has been working “with a fervent zeal for Christ and a deep sense of his pastoral responsibilities.”
In his response, the Ecumenical Patriarch expressed his deep satisfaction, noting, “As we observe, the clergy here is inspired by sound traditional principles and pure Orthodox priestly ethos, living in obedience and devotion to the Church and their Shepherd.” He went on to describe the phenomenon of secularization, a danger that threatens even the sacred clergy in our times, and he joyfully noted that the clergy of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia “strongly resists the leveling logic of secularization and follows the unwavering path of the Fathers and the apostolic traditions of our Holy Church.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch made special mention of the role of the presbyteres, who “silently, humbly, and quietly carry out the noble work of service to the Church, and are deserving of much praise and commendation.” He further emphasized that priestly families serve as—and must continue to serve as—healthy role models “in an era when incidents of domestic violence, especially extreme cases such as femicides, are on the rise, and where the God-given institution of Christian marriage and the traditional family is under unprecedented attack.”
Concluding his remarks, the Ecumenical Patriarch warmly congratulated Archbishop Makarios for building up the priestly family of the Holy Archdiocese, “which has been enriched during his brilliant and blessed archpastoral ministry with fifty-eight new well-educated and cultivated clergy and twelve monks.”
During this warm and moving evening, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew honored three clergymen by bestowing Patriarchal titles: Fr. Ioannis Grillis with the title of Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne, and Fathers Miltiadis Chrysaeugis and Sofronios Konidaris with the title of Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
