The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia (GOAA) has announced that a Greek court has issued a final ruling in a long-running defamation case involving journalist Vasiliki Morali and His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
In a statement released this week, the Archdiocese said the Tripartite Court of Appeal of Thrace (civil jurisdiction) delivered its decision (Judgment No. 88/2025) on 4 November 2025, bringing the judicial process to a close.
According to the Archdiocese, the Court ruled that a series of Facebook posts made by Ms Morali on her personal account from August 2020 until recently “were, to her knowledge, false, untrue and defamatory.”
The posts were found to be insulting and offensive toward Archbishop Makarios, as well as other individuals and institutions associated with the Archdiocese of Australia.
The Court ordered Ms Morali to remove the specific posts, publish a summary of the court’s decision, pay monetary compensation, and refrain from making similar or related offensive or defamatory statements in the future.
The defamation case stemmed from social media posts published approximately four years ago, which related to the production of a documentary tribute to the late Archbishop Stylianos, as well as public allegations made against Archbishop Makarios concerning financial and moral matters.
In its statement, the Archdiocese said the ruling marked the culmination of legal proceedings that had followed repeated conduct by the defendant, despite efforts by Archbishop Makarios to avoid court action.
The Archdiocese added that, while the Archbishop was obliged to defend both the institution he represents and the broader integrity of the Church, he continues to pray for those experiencing “spiritual confusion and turmoil.”
The ruling is final under Greek civil law, concluding the matter before the courts.
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