SYDNEY, Australia | The Archdiocese of Australia commemorated the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea with a Synodal Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Sydney on Sunday. Archbishop Makarios of Australia presided, joined by the bishops of Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Chora.
An encyclical of the Eparchial Synod was read in both Greek and English, stressing that the council of 325 was decisive not only in affirming core doctrine but also in giving the Church its first real sense of universality. “Whenever the ecclesial body faces division, the synodal system will be activated,” the message noted.
Among the faithful were Archon Theo Penklis, academic Philip Kariatlis and renowned Orthodox theologian Fr. John Behr of the University of Aberdeen. Archbishop Makarios praised Behr’s participation in an international symposium on Nicaea held in Sydney last week, presenting him with a pectoral cross in recognition of his support for the Archdiocese’s theological college.
