Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has officially set out on an official visit to Australia at the invitation of Archbishop Makarios and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to commemorate the centenary of the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
The official reception is scheduled for Saturday, October 5, at 10.30 am in Sydney. The Patriarch will be welcomed by notable figures, including Margaret Beazley, Governor of New South Wales, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Archbishop Makarios of Australia, the Holy Eparchial Synod, clergy, and members of the faithful from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
Following the reception, the Patriarch will inaugurate the renovated Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation in Redfern, culminating in a Doxology to honour both his visit and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s centenary.
The Patriarch will also meet with Prime Minister Albanese at his official residence in Sydney and attend a ceremony at the University of Sydney’s Central Auditorium, where he will receive an honorary doctorate from the Theological School of St Andrew and participate in an event organised by the Christian Youth Association of the Archdiocese.
On Sunday, October 6, Patriarch Bartholomew will preside over a Divine Liturgy at the International Convention Centre (ICC). After the service, he will present the new Constitution of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese to Archbishop Makarios and the Holy Eparchial Synod before attending the inaugural festive session of the Holy Eparchial Synod.
Throughout his stay in Sydney, the Patriarch plans to visit various parishes and institutions, meet with the brotherhoods of Holy Monasteries, and conduct a Trisagion service at the graves of the late Archbishops Theophylactos and Stylianos of Australia.
Additionally, he will receive another honorary doctorate from the University of Notre Dame during a special event organised by the Archdiocese of Sydney. He will also hold discussions with leaders of the Christian Churches in Australia, visit Governor-General Sam Mostyn, and meet with the Turkish Ambassador and Greek Consul General in Sydney, as well as members of the Imvrian Association of Sydney.
On Saturday, October 12, the Patriarch will fly to Melbourne aboard the Prime Minister’s aircraft where he will lead the Divine Liturgy, followed by a parade in his honour attended by the Prime Minister. Here he will visit the offices of the Holy Dioceses of Melbourne and Chora, local parishes, institutions and schools. He will also meet with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and visit the Greek Consulate and the Greek Museum of Melbourne, as well as reconnect with family, including his brother Nikolaos Archontonis.
Accompanying the Patriarch on this visit are Metropolitans Kyrillos of Imvros and Tenedos, Philotheos of Thessaloniki, Grand Protosyncellus Gregory, Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, and other distinguished clergy and lay leaders.
Source: Orthodox Times.
