The Ecumenical Patriarch visited the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in Melbourne on the morning of Thursday, October 17, 2024, where he was warmly welcomed by Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne, the priest-in-charge of the parish, Father Pantelimon Laskaris, and a large number of parishioners.
Welcoming the Ecumenical Patriarch, the priest-in-charge expressed the deep emotion of all the parishioners regarding this visit, which is a blessing for the parish and its charitable program “Five Loaves,” which began two years ago and “provides nutritious meals to the homeless, quenches the thirsty, clothes the naked, and cares for the sick, those who live in loneliness, the imprisoned, and the foreigners.”
Following this, the Bishop of Melbourne extensively discussed the charitable activities of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, stating, among other things, that “the National Feeding Program ‘Five Loaves’ is an initiative that reflects the unity and compassion of both the Orthodox family and our partners towards the broader community.” He noted that the inspiration for this initiative comes from Archbishop Makarios, and when the program started in 2022, four volunteers were preparing 25 meals a day for the homeless in the neighborhood. Today, it has expanded to fifteen parishes of the Diocese of Melbourne, with volunteers preparing 500 hot meals and 600 sandwiches twice a week, which are distributed to family service centers, emergency assistance centers, and the homeless. The Bishop added that, to date, a total of 42,000 hot meals and 53,000 sandwiches have been distributed, and meals along with bags of food and essential items are now provided to the homeless through a mobile canteen. He noted that the program relies on the selfless giving, dedication, and tireless efforts of the volunteers and asked the Ecumenical Patriarch to bless the Program so that, with His blessings, they could expand it to meet the needs of more of our less fortunate fellow human beings.
In his response, the Ecumenical Patriarch congratulated the Archbishop of Australia, the Bishop of Melbourne, the organizers, and all the volunteers involved in the program.
“This is a grand undertaking, extending throughout the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, which aspires to offer those in need the ‘bread of life,’ that is, the essentials for survival, without the slightest discrimination based on religion, society, nationality, or any other distinction. The Church always provides its assistance and support indiscriminately; otherwise, it would cease to be the Church of Christ. The charity of the Church knows no borders or rules but is generously offered to all, even to its enemies, as the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ teaches us, according to which the compassionate Samaritan—certainly a type of Christ—helps the Jew who has fallen among thieves, despite belonging to a different ethnic group than the Jews.
The fundamental characteristic of ecclesiastical charity, therefore, is undoubtedly its provision to all without any discrimination, calculation, or ulterior motives. Moreover, the charity of the Church is distinct from social activism or other forms of social welfare and philanthropy, as it possesses several other fundamental characteristics, which we will briefly attempt to develop, precisely from the Gospel words, particularly from the account of the multiplication of the five loaves. This account is preserved in both the synoptic tradition of the Gospels and the fourth Gospel of the beloved disciple John, with minimal differences.”
Following the Patriarch’s encouragement, Metropolitan Kyrillos of Imvros and Tenedos addressed the faithful, also expressing his congratulations on the program supporting our suffering fellow humans.
Subsequently, the Ecumenical Patriarch visited the adjacent Community Hall, where volunteers of all ages prepare meals and bags of food and essential items, congratulating everyone for their participation in this social effort of the Archdiocese.
Photos: Nikos Papachristou
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
