On Thursday, 25 September, at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady in Sydney, a Doxology was celebrated on the occasion of the arrival of the Patriarchal Delegation and the other distinguished guests of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, in light of the 2nd Pan-Australian Clergy Synaxis (29 September – 1 October 2025). The Doxology was presided over by the representative of the Mother Church and of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of Miletus, Abbot of the Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Saint Anastasia Pharmakolytria in Chalkidiki.
In prayerful attendance, on behalf of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, were His Eminence Archbishop Makarios and the members of the Holy Eparchial Synod: Their Graces Bishop Elpidios of Perth, Bishop Silouan of Adelaide, Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne, Bishop Evmenios of Chora, and Bishop Bartholomew of Brisbane; also, Their Graces Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis and Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia, the Bishops-elect Athinagoras of Canberra and Christophoros of Kerasounta, together with a delegation of clergy and faithful of the flock of Sydney. Among the invited Hierarchs, clergy, and monastics present were Their Eminences Metropolitan Ignatios of Demetrias and Almyros, Metropolitan Gregorios of Cameroon, Metropolitan Ioustinos of Nea Krini and Kalamaria, Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago, and Metropolitan Damaskinos of Aetolia and Acarnania; Archimandrite Ignatios Mourtzanos, Protosyncellus of the Holy Metropolis of Larissa and Tyrnavos; Hieromonk Chrysostomos, Elder of the Kellion of Saint John Chrysostom of the Koutloumousiou Skete on Mount Athos; and Patriarchal Deacon Fr. Photios Poulopoulos.
At the conclusion of the Doxology, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios extended a heartfelt welcome to all the distinguished guests, expressing his conviction that with their ethos and wisdom they would contribute to the spiritual fruitfulness of the 2nd Pan-Australian Clergy Synaxis. “I express my certainty that the Synaxis will be successful and blessed,” he noted, “not only because we have with us distinguished and wise speakers, but above all because we are accompanied and overshadowed by the prayer of our Ecumenical Patriarch.” He recalled with nostalgia and emotion the Patriarchal visit to Australia, which had taken place in the same period of 2024 and which, as he emphasised, “was a milestone for our ecclesiastical life.” He added: “It is true that distance, and various other circumstances, the small and human things, distorted mentalities of decades and disappointments, had created a certain indifference toward the Great Church and our venerable Centre of Orthodoxy. But all of this, the visit of our Ecumenical Patriarch overturned and dispelled. Everyone understood, by the mere vision of the Ecumenical Patriarch, what the Great Church truly is, and what the relationship and unbreakable bond is that must unite us.”
The Archbishop also referred to the approval of the new Constitution of the Holy Archdiocese, describing it as “a truly invaluable blessing for our local Church, the fruits of which we are beginning gradually to see.” Focusing in particular on the establishment of the six Dioceses and the constitution of the Holy Eparchial Synod, he assessed that these developments “changed the landscape of our ecclesiastical perspective and our understanding of the Church’s structure, introducing us into a new spirit and a different vision of our path, resolving problems of many decades, tearing down the walls of estrangement and isolation, and giving us great optimism and strength to continue the humble work of the Church.”
He went on with joy and pride to speak about the ecclesiastical ethos of the Bishops and the high level of the clergy of the local Church. Concluding his address, he asked Metropolitan Apostolos of Miletus to convey to His All-Holiness the heartfelt filial wishes of the faithful of the Archdiocese of Australia, while also personally thanking His Eminence Apostolos for his blessed visit to the fifth continent, observing that through his character he has much to teach the Bishops, clergy, and people of the Archdiocese. “Indeed,” he remarked, “in the ecclesiastical sphere there is a need once more to unfold before us the stature of the Hierarchs of the Phanar.”
In his reply, Metropolitan Apostolos of Miletus first conveyed the blessing and prayer of the Ecumenical Patriarch, assuring that “despite the great distance that separates the Sacred Centre from the Antipodes, the bond remains strong and unbreakable, and this great, populous, and spiritually flourishing Eparchy of the Throne—its venerable Shepherd, his esteemed fellow Bishops, its devout clergy, and its pious and faithful people—bring much comfort to the heart of our Patriarch, who rejoices in you all and blesses you with paternal love.”
He then underlined the exalted mission of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia: not only to be the guardian of the Orthodox faith on the fifth continent and guarantor of the Greek language and Greek Orthodox traditions, but also “to preserve untainted this inexhaustible spiritual wealth, to hand it down to future generations, and at the same time to share it generously with the whole of Australian society.” Expressing confidence that this mission is being fulfilled with consistency, he recalled the late Metropolitans and Archbishops who shepherded the local Church in a God-pleasing manner since its founding, and spoke with emotion of his personal acquaintance with Archbishops Ezekiel and Stylianos, of whom he retained fond memories. He also praised the ministry of the present Archbishop, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, noting pointedly that he has “won the wager of Australia, for although he succeeded an emblematic figure—Archbishop Stylianos, who shepherded this Eparchy for many years and left his mark on all its facets—he distinguished himself from the first moment with his dynamism, his spirit of unity, his industriousness, and his far-sighted vision.” “These six years,” he humbly added, “have been a period of renewal for the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, a new era has begun, in which he healed dysfunctions and ills of the past and laid new and stronger foundations for the future.” Concluding his address, His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos conveyed to the Archbishop and the Holy Eparchial Synod the gratitude and commendation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
