The Ukrainian Orthodox Parish – Community of St. Savva the New of Kalymnos, in the Sydney suburb of Banksia was visited on Sunday, November 26, by his Eminence Archbishop of Australia, Makarios.
The Archbishop officiated the service with the church’s Parish priest Father Savas Pizanias and Fathers Miltiades Chryssavgis and Edward Waters.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, he held a Holy Memorial Mass for the repose of the victims of the Ukrainian Genocide of 1932-33, on the occasion of Holomodor Remembrance Day, which is recognised by Ukrainians everywhere on the last weekend of November each year.
During his speech for the many people in attendance, the Archbishop referred to the tragic events of what he considered one of the darkest days in history, which saw a famine that lead to the loss of seven million people, many of whom were children.
His Eminence expressed his solidarity with the Ukrainian people, praying for the salvation of the victims’ souls and for the prevention of any similar incident occurring in the future.
He also made reference to the ongoing war raging in Ukraine presently since the invasion of Russian troops in February 2022, condemning it and calling again for peace.
He assured that the Mother Church and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, along with the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and himself, firmly support and will continue to support the rights of the Ukrainian people.
The Archbishop expressed sorrow that the Russian Church has adopted the “Theology of War”, in complete opposition to the teachings of the Holy Gospel.
“I am very afraid that our Russian brothers have created their own, parallel Orthodox Church,” he said and added:
“They have their own Theology, their own Ecclesiology and their own interpretation of the Holy Canons. We should pray that God will enlighten all the clergy, all the Bishops and especially those in positions of authority, to understand that the primary responsibility of the Bishop is to work for the unity of the Church and not for division.”
His Eminence was welcomed by the Parish Priest Father Savvas Pizanias, who thanked the Archdiocese and the Archbishop himself for the constant care and support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Community of Banksia and the Ukrainian community of Australia in general.
Following the memorial, Archbishop Makarios inaugurated the outdoor recreation area recently acquired by the Parish-Community of Saint Savvas the New.
This was followed by a lunch in the adjacent community hall, during which Mr Peter Deriashnyj, President of the “Ukrainian Free Kozaks” organisation, recited a poem about the Genocide of 1932-33, accompanied by music from the “bandura”, a traditional Ukrainian instrument.
The meal was also attended by Mrs Ekaterina Trushkina Rezende, member of the Russian opposition, who declared her undivided solidarity with the Ukrainian people, both for the atrocity suffered 90 years ago and for the present-day invasion.
Emphasising that the famine that led to the millions of deaths was a deliberate action of the Soviet regime, she recalled that the tragic events were also experienced by other populations beyond the borders of Ukraine, stressing that this is an important point to highlight.
It is noted that among the attendees for the events were Mr Bill Saravinovski, Mayor of Bayside Municipality, who also represented the Minister for Multiculturalism of New South Wales, Mr Steve Kamper, and the former Mayor and current Municipal Councillor of Georges River Municipality, Mr Nick Katris.
