The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia released a statement today that said it is committed to “working together to uphold the dignity and sacredness of every human person.”

The Church emphasised that it is particularly committed to those “whose basic human rights have been denied if not totally rejected, including those of our own Indigenous people who have suffered tremendous upheavals and alienation since white settlement.”

“Having been subjected to domination and exploitation, inequities and discrimination, dispossession and indifference, the ‘Voice’ of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continues to be marginalised in the political process.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have not been appropriately acknowledged as the first custodians of Australia, who inhabited this land for thousands of years before Australia’s more recent history.”

The Archdiocese said its position is “found in the Christian teaching about the dignity of the human person created in the image and according to the likeness of God (cf. Genesis 1:26).”

It went on to say that “unequivocally that all human beings—irrespective of colour, race, or religion—are creatures of God and therefore of inestimable worth.”

“It is incumbent upon all of us to walk together, and in a spirit of reconciliation and healing, advance towards a movement which will see First Nation’s people be able to hope for a better future.”

The Archdiocese’s call for reconciliation underscored the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ and quoted from it:

“Proportionally, we are the most incarcerated people on the planet. We are not innately criminal people. Our children are alienated from their families… This is the torment of our powerlessness. We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people to take a rightful place in our own country.”

Finally, the Archdiocese called on Greek Australian Orthodox to “seriously” engage with the referendum question—which Australian citizens will be asked to vote upon on October 14 2023—about constitutional recognition and a voice to Parliament.

The statement ended with a “heartfelt prayer” to God that “all human beings may enjoy to the fullest measure the most precious gift of the imprint of God in them.”

It added that the Church was committed to a more humane co-existence” and “innate solidarity with all humanity.”