His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church, met, for the first time, the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP, at the Commonwealth Parliament Offices in Sydney.
The Prime Minister welcomed His Eminence on behalf of the people of Australia, saying “As I have made known to you by letter, Australia is very lucky to have you as Archbishop of the Orthodox Church. We have been following your journey to Australia and today we congratulate and welcome you to our shores. We thank you for being with us and offer our support as you begin your new life in Australia”.
Reciprocating the Prime Minister’s kind sentiments, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios gave him a beautiful icon of Christ as a memento on this special occasion noting the following: “I feel very blessed to have God lead my footsteps towards this beautiful country of yours. I thank you deeply on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and Greek-Australian community for all that you have provided the Greeks of Australia till today. As Orthodox and as Greeks we will remain witnesses of peace, unity and love in this blessed continent called Australia”.
The meeting lasted for more than 40 minutes and both leaders had the opportunity to discuss the issues relating to religious freedom, the re-opening of the School of Halki of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the close ties and special relationship Australia has fostered with Greece over the decades since and before the migration boom of the 20th century, especially in areas relating to common welfare including Aged Care, youth and adults with disabilities and education.
Finally, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios articulated his vision for the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia and expressed his desire to embrace all different demographics of the Greek-Australian Community in order to promote and facilitate a dialogue with other Christian denominations and other Faiths for the common good of the country.
The meeting was a great opportunity for both leaders to get to know each other and collaborate in the future to effectively address and work on issues affecting the people of Australia.
