The Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Christos Karras, has been awarded the Silver Cross of St Andrew the Apostle by Archbishop Makarios of Australia in recognition of his contribution to the local Greek community.
Mr Karras received the award on Friday, September 23 during a vespers service held at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ and our Lady of Myrtles in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah.
The recognition comes on the occasion of Mr Karras’ imminent completion of his term of office and his departure from Australia.
After honouring Mr Karras with the Silver Cross, Archbishop Makarios addressed the church congregation and praised the Consul General for his contribution to Hellenism in New South Wales, emphasising his response to the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
The Archbishop also mentioned Mr Karras’ good cooperation with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, and expressed his heartfelt thanks to Trade Commissioner, Katia Gkikiza, who will also depart Australia at the end of the month.
In response, the Consul General thanked Archbishop Makarios for bestowing the award honour on him, and expressed gratitude for the warm relationship he developed both personally with the Archbishop, as well as with all the bishops and clergy of the Archdiocese.
“It was a joy, honour and privilege to be, for these five years, a member of the Greek Australian community of Sydney and I will continue to feel a member of it for the rest of my life,” Mr Karras concluded.
