“The Greek community of Australia is not a distant and insignificant population on the fifth continent, far away from our homeland,” Greece’s Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias said during the first day of his visit to Sydney on Thursday.

The Minister attended a Doxology service at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady, officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, Primate and Exarch of All Oceania.

Dendias was accompanied by Greece’s Ambassador to Australia Stavros Venizelos, Consul-General of Greece in Sydney Georgios Skemperis, and Rear Admiral Panagiotis Karavas, Director of Armaments at the Hellenic Navy General Staff.

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

Also attending were New South Wales Minister for Finance Courtney Houssos, representing NSW Premier Chris Minns, clergy, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Nikolaos Papanastasiou, Efstathios Kondylios and Theodosios Penklis, presidents and board members of Greek community organisations across Australia, representatives of Greek Australian organisations and members of the Greek Australian community.

Photo: Directorate of Public Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of National Defence/Evangelos Karaiskos

Archbishop Makarios was joined by Bishop Evmenios of Chora and Bishop Athenagoras of Canberra, members of the Holy Eparchial Synod, as well as the Assistant Bishops Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St George at Yellow Rock; Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia, Chief Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod; and Bishop Christophoros of Kerasounta, Protosyncellus of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

At the conclusion of the Doxology, Archbishop Makarios presented the distinguished visitor with the highest honour of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, the Order of the Friends of Christ with Star, in recognition of his service to Greece and Hellenism worldwide.

Introducing the recipient and reflecting on his career and contribution to public life, the Archbishop said, among other things:

“We are especially pleased because, at this turbulent moment in history, Greece’s defence is in strong and responsible hands. Your actions and your work demonstrate that. We also rejoice because, in every position to which the Motherland and the Greek people have called you to serve, you have proven yourself, working with dedication, selflessness and sacrifice for the common good and for our national interests.”

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

Responding after receiving the honour, the Minister of National Defence said, according to the Ministry’s official statement:

“First of all, Your Eminence, allow me to thank you for this great honour and for your exceptionally kind words, which reflect both your eloquence and the abundance of your affection for me.”

Photo: Directorate of Public Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of National Defence/Evangelos Karaiskos

“I believe this great honour is not bestowed upon me personally. It is an honour for the Armed Forces of our homeland, of which I have the great privilege to serve as the civilian head, and for the tremendous efforts of the men and women of Greece’s Armed Forces to fulfil their highest constitutional duty: safeguarding the territorial integrity of our country, protecting Hellenism and everything it has represented throughout the centuries in our long historical journey, as you so eloquently described.

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

“Unfortunately, one of the clearest proofs of the historical continuity of Hellenism—of our very heritage—is that we have too often repeated the same mistakes, above all the greatest of them: division among ourselves, which has led to countless tragedies.

“For this reason, it brings me great joy and comfort to see the Greek community of Australia united under your leadership, walking together with the Holy Church of Christ, which has always been the firm foundation upon which the course of Hellenism has rested. This is especially true of the Church’s vital role beyond the borders of our homeland.”

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

“I must also tell you that it was particularly moving for me, during my brief 36-hour visit to Sydney, to see the Greek flag flying outside the Greek Orthodox church.

“It was equally moving to see young people here wearing the Evzone uniform and the Macedonian Fighters’ uniform. As I often tell foreign visitors to our homeland, the Evzone uniform is rich in symbolism.

“The 400 pleats of the fustanella represent the 400 years of Ottoman rule. The red fez symbolises the blood shed in the struggle for freedom. Even the sound of the tsarouchia—the traditional Evzone shoes—carries meaning. If you have ever watched the Evzones march, that sound serves as a reminder to our ancestors that we remain free.”

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

“The other two Evzone uniforms are equally symbolic. One is the blue uniform, associated with Pavlos Melas, while the other is the summer uniform, which commemorates Asia Minor.

“Your Eminence, I was also deeply impressed by the iconography of your cathedral. From the place of honour where you graciously seated me, I could see the depiction of the Finding of the True Cross, alongside the Restoration of the Holy Icons. Saint Theodora—the Empress Theodora, who restored the holy icons—is especially close to me, as her relics are kept in my hometown of Corfu, at the Metropolitan Cathedral. Wherever we look, we find evidence of the continuity of Hellenism.

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

“The common ground upon which we stand is our traditions, our faith, our love for Orthodoxy, our love for our homeland and our love for our language. It is profoundly moving and deeply significant to hear the Greek language spoken in an Orthodox”In closing, I would like to thank you for your work, Your Eminence, because your ministry serves Hellenism. I thank you for your tireless efforts to keep the Greek community closely connected with the motherland.

“The Greek community of Australia is not a distant and insignificant population on the fifth continent, far removed from our homeland. In numerical terms, it could be considered Greece’s third-largest city, if not its second. It is also a community that enjoys great respect and esteem.

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

“I had the opportunity, during a NATO meeting if I recall correctly, to meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. I still remember the warmth with which he spoke to me about the Greek presence here in Australia—a sentiment clearly reflected by the strong turnout of our compatriots here today.

“Your Eminence, Your Graces, Honourable Minister, dear compatriots, even though I am here for only a few hours, it is a great joy and an immense honour to be in Sydney and to be here today at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation.

“Your Eminence, I sincerely thank you for this honour. I repeat that I accept it only in my capacity as the civilian head of those who work day and night to protect our homeland. Thank you very much.”

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

Meeting at the Archbishop’s Office

Following the Doxology service, Mr Dendias held a private meeting with Archbishop Makarios of Australia at the Archbishop’s Office, where discussions took place in a spirit of mutual commitment to advancing the interests of Hellenism and the Church.

“Hellenism lives and flourishes here in distant Australia. As long as our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the Ecumenical Patriarchate remain on this land, and as long as the Orthodox priest celebrates the Divine Liturgy in Greek, Hellenism has a future and we have nothing to fear,” the Archbishop said as he welcomed the Minister, according to a statement from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.

The Archbishop also stressed that “the heart of the Greek diaspora beats strongly here in Australia, and every beat proclaims Greece and Romiosyni.”

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

“We love Australia,” he said, “because it is our home, because it welcomed thousands of Greeks during the difficult years of migration, and because it has blessed us with God’s gifts. But we never forget Greece. On the contrary, we preserve our customs, traditions and language, and proudly raise the Greek flag in every corner of the fifth continent.”

Mr Dendias responded warmly, congratulating Archbishop Makarios on his valuable work in support of the Greek Australian community.

Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos

According to the Ministry of National Defence, he said:

“It gives me great joy that, during my visit to Australia, I had the blessing, pleasure and honour of attending the Doxology service at the Cathedral of the Annunciation and of being received by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia. We discussed matters concerning the presence of the Greek Orthodox faithful here in Sydney and throughout Australia.

Photo: Directorate of Public Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of National Defence/Evangelos Karaiskos

“I also had the opportunity to brief him on issues concerning our homeland, the purpose of my visit and our relations with Australia. What gave me the greatest satisfaction, however, was seeing that Hellenism in Australia is flourishing. It is approaching, if not exceeding, one million people. If it were in Greece, it would be the country’s third-largest city.

“More importantly, it is a dynamic Greek community. It stands united alongside the Church and serves as a bridge between the fifth continent and Europe, particularly with our homeland, Greece. Thank you very much.”

The meeting concluded with the customary exchange of gifts, followed by a luncheon in the Minister’s honour at the hall of St Andrew’s Theological College.

Photo: Directorate of Public Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of National Defence/Evangelos Karaiskos
Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos
Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos
Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos
Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos
Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia/Markellos Petropoulos
Photo: Directorate of Public Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of National Defence/Evangelos Karaiskos
Photo: Directorate of Public Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of National Defence/Evangelos Karaiskos
Photo: Directorate of Public Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of National Defence/Evangelos Karaiskos
Photo: Directorate of Public Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of National Defence/Evangelos Karaiskos
Photo: Directorate of Public Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of National Defence/Evangelos Karaiskos