The Administrative Council of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia Incorporated (GOCSA) will host a historic Meet and Greet with members of the Community and Archbishop Makarios of Australia at the Olympic House, next month.
The event follows a preliminary meeting held in June with members of the Executive Council, Archbishop Makarios and Bishop Silouan of Sinope, where both parties expressed a desire to reengage in open dialogue in the hope of finding a solution to the schism that has divided the state’s Greek community for over 60 years.
Archbishop Makarios has welcomed the opportunity to meet with GOCSA members with enthusiasm stating: “I look forward to being amongst you for a most beneficial discussion, with the grace of God in a spirit of Christ-centred love.”
“Let us remember that we share more similarities than differences, and our common faith and heritage should always be one of inclusion. We must be willing to listen to one another and to empathise with each other’s perspectives,” said GOCSA President, Peter Gardiakos in a letter to members.
“Our focus remains on serving our members and safeguarding the future of our organisation for future generations. With this historic event, we want to provide our members an opportunity to engage in dialogue themselves.”
“For over 90 years our organisation has supported its members by providing many services, including ecclesiastical and spiritual coverage through our churches. We have helped shape South Australia’s multicultural character, we have a story to tell, and thus we must lead this dialogue to identify ways to future-proof the GOCSA and to strengthen the broader Greek community whilst 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 in the Community’s historic Olympic House, adjacent to the Cathedral of Archangels Michael and Gabriel.
