Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sparked anger among many in the Greek Australian community following his enthusiastic praise for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese during the visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew.
Albanese’s statement that “for a century, the Church has preserved the culture and language of Australia’s Greek community, connecting generations to their heritage” has drawn criticism from many members of the community.
A letter addressed to the Prime Minister refuted his assertion, stating, “With all due respect Prime Minister, you got it wrong! It is our communities that have fought for the preservation of Greek language and culture.”
The signatories emphasised the significant role of unions, secular Greek community organisations, and various associations in promoting the Greek language and culture over the years.
The letter underscored the contributions of the established Greek communities in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, and other cities, which “created the schools that taught and continue to teach Greek to thousands of young Greek Australians for over a century.”
The authors added, “These same organisations, together with many ordinary working-class Greek Australians during the 70s, lobbied respective state governments to ensure that Greek was taught in the public education system, because apart from a community language it is also an Australian language, thus, making it accessible to all and not just the few.”
The late historian, Professor Michael Tsounis, documented the rise of what he termed “ethnic Greek community schools” in 1975. According to Tsounis, over 600 schools were in existence at that time, encompassing secular Greek Orthodox community schools, as well as privately run institutions. The letter highlighted that secular community organisations, including unions and Orthodox communities, played an equal if not greater role in this effort.
It is a complex history of Greek community development in Australia. Until the Schism between the Archdiocese and self-governed Greek communities in 1959, secular, and self-determined Greek organisations, not under the auspices of the Archdiocese, used the term “Orthodox” in their titles as they ran their own churches and paid their own priests, it is easy to get confused. In essence schools run by Greek Orthodox Communities on the whole had nothing to do with the Archdiocese.
In his enthusiasm to honour Australia’s Greek communities and the visiting Patriarch, the prime minister may have become confused over the nomenclature, that’s easy. He overlooked the significant contributions of non-church organisations in maintaining the Greek language and culture.
The PM did not know he was wading into an historical clash between secular and religious authorities for the soul of Greece, and Greeks. A conflict that flares up in the history of modern Greece, and its Diaspora.
Albanese clearly wasn’t fully briefed on the extensive work by various secular Greek organisations in preserving Greek heritage within Australia.
Below is the letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
RESPONSE TO THE PM OF AUSTRALIA ANTHONY ALBANESE REGARDING HIS RECENT STATEMENTS ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS OF THE GREEK AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY
During the recent visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, for the centenary celebrations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, the Prime Minister stated publicly that “For a century, the Church has preserved the culture and language of Australia’s Greek community, connecting generations to their heritage”.
With all due respect Prime Minister, you got it wrong! It is our communities that have fought for the preservation of Greek language and culture.
As Australians of Greek background who have been actively involved for many decades now, in the affairs of our own community, as well as of the wider Australian society, via community organisations, trade unions, political parties and social movements, we express our disapproval of this historically inaccurate statement.
To state that it was the Greek Orthodox Church that maintained and promoted Greek culture and language in Australia is simply wrong! It ignores the hard work and commitment of numerous community groups and individuals who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to build a new home and a new identity, that draws upon the history and culture of both Greece and Australia.
Greek community organisations existed long before the arrival of the organised church and until that time, and even after that, they served the religious needs of their members. Prime Minister, it was the established Greek Communities of Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and others, that in the early to mid-20th century created the schools that taught and continue to teach Greek to thousands of young Greek Australians for over a century.
These same organisations, together with many ordinary working-class Greek Australians during the 70s, lobbied respective state governments to ensure that Greek was taught in the public education system, because apart from a community language it is also an Australian language, thus, making it accessible to all and not just the few.
The Prime Minister should know it was cultural and workers organisations that were established in individual states, that provided cultural activities such as theatre, dances, lectures, concerts, sporting events, as well as social services, to the ever-growing Greek communities of that time.
Dear Prime Minister, it was members and supporters of various Australian political parties, but especially of your party, that during the 50s, 60s and 70s were at the forefront of the struggle to lay the foundations and principles of Australian multiculturalism? It was the secular communities and their activists not the Church, that fought for the establishment of multiculturalism!
In short, Hellenism is broader than Orthodox Christianity, in the same way that Australian culture is broader and more complex than religious denomination.
We acknowledge and respect the spiritual and religious role played by the Greek Orthodox Church, but we do not accept your inaccurate historical reference that it “preserved the culture and language of Australia’s Greek community”. This claim does not accord with the historical reality as lived by Greek-Australian communities.
Prime Minister, please respect the contributions and the legacy of all those community minded ordinary Greek Australians and Greek migrants, who built today’s community and today’s Australia. It is the Greek community in its broad and secular forms that continues to nourish education, artistic and cultural development that is inclusive and without discrimination based on gender, sexuality or religious/political beliefs.
Signatories
Tom Alegounarias Sydney
Mary Anthony Sydney
Petro Alexiou Sydney
Dr Steve Bakalis Melbourne
Vangelis Bogias Adelaide
Maria Chrysanthou Sydney
Dr Con Costa Sydney
John Daviskas Sydney
Elias Diacolabrianos Melbourne
Sophie Diamantis Adelaide
Yannis Dramitinos Sydney
Manos Foundoulis Sydney
Andrew Gavrielatos Sydney
Angelo Gavrielatos Sydney
Krys Georgiadis Melbourne
John Georgiou Melbourne
Eleni Glaros Adelaide
Anastasia Hatzis Melbourne
Athanasia Hatzis Melbourne
Eleni Hatzis Melbourne
Hellen Hatzis Melbourne
Nikolas Hatzis Melbourne
Savvas Kallimachos Grigoropoulos Melbourne
Alyson Kakakios Sydney
Michael Kakakios Sydney
Michael Kakogiannis Melbourne
Xenofon Kakogiannis Melbourne
Panos Kalathas Melbourne
Phillip Kalogeras Adelaide
Georgia Katsifara Kolokitha Melbourne
Costas Kazantzis Melbourne
Helen Kazantzis Melbourne
Athena Karamarkos Melbourne
Kostas Karamarkos Melbourne
Marrietta Kokkas Melbourne
George Koletsis Melbourne
Siobhan Koletsis Melbourne
Anthia Kollaras Sydney
Matoyla Kollaras Sydney
Eleni Eleftherias Kostakidis Sydney
Kaliopi Kotis Sydney
Michael Kotis Sydney
Stanley Koulouris Sydney
Joanne Kyrkilis Melbourne
Alexander Ladopoulos Sydney
Dimitra Lagoudaki Melbourne
John Lesses Adelaide
Eleni Maltezou Melbourne
Effie Maltezos Melbourne
Costas Markos Melbourne
Theo Markos Melbourne
Alex Missiris Sydney
Benny Mitropoulos Melbourne
Kostas Mitropoulos Melbourne
Kostas Mytilinis Sydney
Leonidas Naoumis Brisbane
Dr Toula Nicolacopoulos Melbourne
Agapi Pashos Melbourne
Dimitris Paikopoulos Melbourne
Kostas Papanikitas Sydney
Nick Papanikitas Sydney
Dr George Paxinos Sydney
Shirley Peshos Sydney
Niki Pezaros Melbourne
Nondas Pezaros Melbourne
Phil Peladarinos Melbourne
Evangelos Plokamakis Melbourne
P.O. Melbourne
Helen Portellos Adelaide
Nikos Portellos Adelaide
Panagiotos Ppiros Adelaide
Lamprine Rantas Athens
Adam Rorris Sydney
Arthur Rorris Sydney
Dimitra Sarelas Sydney
Peter Sarelas Sydney
Jeanette Sdrinis Melbourne
Kathy Sdrinis Melbourne
Athena Sergianis Melbourne
Effie Sfrantzis Melbourne
Efthalia Tsiangos Scheidle Melbourne
Jim Skazas Melbourne
Nikos Soulakis Melbourne
Jorge Sotirios Sydney
Ellie Speis Adelaide
Eleni Stamenitis Melbourne
Sotiris Stergiopoulos Melbourne
Christine Theodosaki Melbourne
Nick Thliveris Sydney
Sue Persa Thliveris Sydney
Nick Tsaktsiras Melbourne
Dr Michael Tsianikas Adelaide
Dr Kostas Tsingas Melbourne
Con Vaitsas Sydney
Stratos Vakkas Melbourne
Alvaro Valenzuela Sydney
Stella Valenzuela Sydney
Dr George Vassilakopoulos Melbourne
Olga Vasilopoulos Melbourne
Jim Vergis Sydney
This statement was send to the Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese MP.
The 100 respondents come from the entire spectrum of democratic politics in Australia, and from all walks of life, academics, professionals, business people, unionists, activists, retired and others. A number of them served for a long period of time on the Boards of the three largest secular Greek Australian organisations, namely the Communities of Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.
