LETTER OF SUPPORT TO OUR PRIMATE HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP MAKARIOS OF AUSTRALIA

IT IS WITH GREAT HONOUR THAT I AM WRITING THIS PIECE IN SUPPORT OF OUR PRIMATE HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP MAKARIOS OF AUSTRALIA AND OUR MOTHER CHURCH HERE IN AUSTRALIA BUT SIMULTANOUSLY IT GIVES ME ENORMOUS SORROW THAT THIS IS NECESSARY.

A SELECT GROUP OF OUR FAITHFUL HAVE CHOSEN TO LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF THE FACELESS ENEMY THAT IS AMONGST OUR PEOPLE SPREADING MALICIOUS RUMOURS, TWISTING THE TRUTH AND JUDGING OUR EMINENCE BECAUSE OF THE ACTIONS OF OTHERS.

WE MUST REMEMBER THAT TWELVE MONTHS AGO OUR EMINENCE WAS ELECTED UNANIMOUSLY AND ELEVATED TO ARCHIBISHOP OF AUSTRALIA, WHILE NOT FEELING WORTHY OF SUCH A PROMINENT POSITION HE HUMBILY ACCEPTED AND WITH EXTREME HUMILITY HE VENTURED TO OUR SHORES AFAR FULL OF LOVE AND UNITY.

ON HIS ARRIVAL IN AUSTRALIA HE SPENT THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS VIGOROUSLY TRAVELLING ACROSS OUR COUNTRY, HE FELT THE NEED TO MEET HIS FLOCK. HE BEGAN TO VISIT OUR PARISHES AUSTRALIA WIDE, OUR AGED CARE FACILITIES SPENDING TIME WITH THE VULNERABLE, THE ELDERLY AND SHARING THEIR STORIES, HE ENGAGED IN  THE LARGEST NATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCES THIS COUNTRY HAS EVER SEEN , HE ADOPTED THE USE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN OUR LITURGIES MAKING THEM BILINGUAL IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEXT GENERATION AND OUR CONVERTS. BUT ABOVE ALL HE HAD THE INSIGHT AND THE AWARENES THAT TODAYS YOUTH ARE EXPOSED TO DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AND THAT IT IS A MAJOR ISSUE IN TODAYS SOCIETY AND YES GREEK CHILDREN AND ADOLENCES ARE ALSO EXPOSED AND THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT PROTECTED SPECIES, OUR EMINENCES FORESIGHT WAS THE BEGINNING OF ELPIS AN ALCOHOL AND DRUG REHABILITATION CENTRE.

HE ACHIEVED ALL OF THE ABOVE WITHIN HIS FIRST TWELVE MONTHS IN THE COUNTRY, AN EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVMENT.

HIS EMINENCE IS MAN OF MONASTIC EXISTENCE FROM THE YOUNG AGE OF NINETEEN HE LIVED A PIOUS LIFE IN ISOLATION SERVING THE WORD OF OUR LORD. HE HAS NO WEALTH OR WORDLY POSSESSIONS AND IS IN THIS COUNTRY TO SERVE OUR FAITHFUL IN CHRISTIANITY AND ORTHODOXY. DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE SMILING ASSASSINS THAT ARE AMONGST US PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR DIVISION. WE MUST REMAIN STRONG AND UNITED TO DEFEAT THE SATANIC INVASION WITHIN OUR MIDST.

I URGE YOU ALL TO REACH OUT TO EACH OTHER, TO YOUR SPIRITUAL FATHERS AND PRAY TO OUR LORD TO GUIDE US THROUGH THIS TURBULENT TIME.

THIS IS THE TIME OF NEED, THIS IS WHEN OUR PRIMATE, HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP MAKARIOS NEEDS THE SUPPORT OF HIS FLOCK, THIS IS WHEN WE MUST SHOW AND PROVE OUR DEVOTION TO OUR LEADER AND OUR MOTHER CHURCH. WE CAN NOT ABANDON OUR ARCHBISHOP IN HIS TIME OF NEED AND ABOVE ALL WE MUST SHOW HIM OUR STRENGTH AND SUPPORT, SO HE HIMSELF MAYBE EMBELISHED WITH THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE, HIS FLOCK, HIS FAITHFUL PARISHINERS. WE MUST NOT ALLOW THE VEIN OF DESTRUCTION TO EMBED ITS FOUNDATION AMONGST US AND WITHIN OUR CHURCH.

FR. AGATHANGELO MASTEAS

PARISH PRIEST                       

CON ZANNETTIDES

PARISH PRESIDENT