The plenitude of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia was informed, with great joy and satisfaction, that the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, under the presidency of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and with the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, unanimously approved its new Constitution, which, replacing the one from 1959, aims to more effectively serve contemporary needs and better manage the challenges that arise for the local Church as it enters its second centenary of life.
It is pointed out that the new Constitution of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia:
– provides for the preservation of the institutions of the Clergy-Laity Congress and the Archdiocesan Council.
– Introduces the Synodal System as a system of more effective administration based on the Holy Canons of our Church (Holy Eparchial Synod) and the establishment of six Dioceses.
– provides that the financial and administration issues of the Parishes remain in the competence of the Consolidated Trust of the Holy Archdiocese, and the Communities in the competence of their Management Boards, as is the case until today.
His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, Their Graces the Bishops, the holy Clergy and the pious people of the Orthodox Church in Australia express, from the bottom of their hearts, their gratitude to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and to the members of the Holy and Sacred Synod along with Him, for this historic decision and above all for the reaffirmation of the unwavering care of the Mother Church and the Patriarch for the blessed progress and prosperity of the Christian plenitude of the fifth continent. The people of Australia are happily preparing to welcome the Ecumenical Patriarch next October to celebrate, along with the blessed presence of the Patriarch of the Nation, the centenary of the foundation of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia.
