His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had the opportunity to reaffirm that the future of Orthodoxy in Australia is in very good hands during his attendance at the Youth Parade held in his honour in Melbourne on Sunday afternoon, 13th October, following the historic Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at Margaret Court Arena.
Proud Greek youth marched before the Patriarch of the Nation at KIA Arena, and in the presence of also His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia and the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Anthony Albanese. At the end of the parade, everyone enthusiastically proclaimed, “We are ready for the future,” while one hundred white doves were symbolically released to mark the one hundred years since the establishment of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia.
Earlier, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios gave a warm welcoming address in which he sincerely thanked the youth who participated in the parade in honour of the Patriarch, noting that the blessed apostolic visit of His All-Holiness and the honorary presence of the Prime Minister “offer us the opportunity to showcase the characteristics of the identity of our Greek Orthodox people, which enrich the greatness of Melbourne’s multicultural city and the entire Australian nation.”
He went on to highlight the significant role the Ecumenical Patriarchate has played throughout the hundred-year journey of the local Church, “as a spiritual beacon and nourisher of Hellenism in Australia, ensuring the preservation of unity, providing guidance and strengthening its expatriate children, and contributing decisively to their godly progress and success.” “Thanks to the loving care and spiritual guidance of the Mother Church,” he emphasised, “the Orthodox faith, the Greek language, and the traditions and customs of our ancestors, remain alive and rooted in the souls of the younger members of our Greek community.”
Addressing Prime Minister Mr. Anthony Albanese, he warmly thanked him for his presence at the commemorative events and “for not being afraid to publicly say that he loves the Greeks and the Archbishop.” “He is our friend, and we are his friends,” he added.
Concluding his speech, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios assured His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew that the Holy Archdiocese of Australia “at the dawn of its second century, looks to the future with confidence and great optimism—optimism that stems from our faith in God, from the security provided by the loving embrace of the Mother Church, and what’s more, from the quality of these young people who will take on the responsibility of tomorrow.”
In addition to the Prime Minister of Australia, who also delivered a warm greeting to the Greek community of Melbourne, the event was honoured by the presence of members of the Patriarchal entourage, among whom were: Their Eminences, Metropolitans Kyrillos of Imbros and Tenedos and Metropolitan Filotheos of Thessaloniki, The Very Reverends, Grand Protosyncellus Archimandrite Gregory, and Grand Ecclesiarch Archimandrite Aetios, Director of the Personal Patriarchal Office, the Reverend Patriarchal Deacon Evlogios, Codifier of the Holy and Sacred Synod, the Righteous Nun Iakovi, Abbess of the Holy Monastery of St John the Baptist in Akritochori, the Honourable Archon Didaskalos of the Nation Mr Konstantinos Delikostantis, Director of the First Patriarchal Office, and the Honourable Archon Didaskalos of the Church Mr Theodoros Yiangou, Professor of the Theological School at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Honourable Mr Nicholas-George Papachristou, Director of the Patriarchal Press and Communication Office, and Mr Themistocles Karanikolas, from the Patriarchal staff, along with Their Eminences, Metropolitans Ezekiel of Dervis and Seraphim of Sevastia, the Venerable God-loving Bishops of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, the Ambassador of Greece to Australia, Mr Stavros Venizelos, who also gave a small greeting, the High Commissioner of Cyprus, Mr Antonis Sammoutis, the Consuls General of Greece in Melbourne, Mr Emmanuel Kakavelakis, and in Adelaide, Ms Alexandra Theodoropoulos, Federal MP Ms Maria Vamvakinou and Victorian State MP Ms Kat Theophanous, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, Mr Bill Papastergiadis, the biological brother of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Mr Nikolaos Archontonis, and the parents of the Archbishop of Australia, Emmanuel and Fotini Griniezakis.
