Archbishop Makarios of Australia has issued a statement on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, encouraging Greek Orthodox faithful to “engage seriously with the referendum question… about constitutional recognition.”
Constitutional recognition through a Voice to Parliament would enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to provide advice to the Parliament on policies and projects that impact their lives.
In his statement, Archbishop Makarios said the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia (GOAA) “is committed to working together to uphold the dignity and sacredness of every human person.”
“Having been subjected to domination and exploitation, inequity and discrimination, dispossession and indifference, the ‘Voice’ of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continues to be marginalised in the political process,” the Archbishop said.
“Together with this, they have not been appropriately acknowledged as the first custodians of Australia, who inhabited this land for many thousands of years before Australia’s more recent history.”
Archbishop Makarios then encouraged everyone “to walk together, and in a spirit of reconciliation and healing, advance forward towards a movement which will see First Nation’s people be able to hope for a better future.”
Australians will vote in a referendum on Saturday, October 14 on whether an Indigenous Voice to Parliament should be enshrined in the Constitution.
