The Governing Council of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia Incorporated (GOCSA) will host a historic meeting with members of the community and Archbishop Makarios of Australia at Olympic House next month.
The event follows a preliminary meeting held in June with Executive Council members Archbishop Makarios and Bishop Silouan of Sinope, during which both parties expressed a desire to resume open dialogue in the hope of finding a solution to the schism that divides the State. Greek community for over 60 years.
Archbishop Makarios enthusiastically welcomed the opportunity to meet with GOCSA members, saying: “I look forward to being among you for a most beneficial discussion, with the grace of God in a spirit of centered love on Christ.
“Let us remember that we share more similarities than differences, and that our common faith and heritage should always be founded on inclusion. We must be willing to listen to each other and understand each other’s points of view,” GOCSA President Peter Gardiakos said in a letter to members.
“Our goal remains to serve our members and protect the future of our organization for future generations. With this historic event, we want to offer our members the opportunity to engage in dialogue themselves.
“For over 90 years, our organization has supported its members by providing many services, including ecclesiastical and spiritual coverage through our churches. We have helped shape the multicultural character of South Australia, we have a story to tell and so we must lead this dialogue to identify ways to sustain GOCSA and strengthen the wider Greek community while retaining our
values, proud history and heritage,” Gardiakos added.
The event is exclusively for members of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia Inc. and will be held at the Community’s historic Olympic House, adjacent to the Cathedral of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel.
