Thousands of faithful visited the Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Sydney to pay their last respects to Australia’s Greek Orthodox Archbishop Stylianos Harkianakis.
The 83-year-old Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia died last Monday, after serving the church for 44 years and founding the Greek Orthodox education system in Australia.
Attendees at the funeral service on Saturday included premier Gladys Berejiklian, acting NSW Labor leader Penny Sharpe, former premier Nick Greiner, immigration minister David Coleman, federal Labor MPs Anthony Albanese and Linda Burney, and Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos.
Also present was His Grace Bishop Mihail of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand.
Representatives from the Russian, Serbian, Coptic and Armenian Orthodox Churches were also present.
The funeral service was led by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Vryoula, the representative of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.
Archbishop Stylianos led half a million Greek Orthodox Australians, serving as the most senior figure in the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia since 1975 when he arrived in Sydney.
He taught Orthodox theology and spirituality at the University of Sydney, was president of the Estia foundation for young adults with disabilities, and was also a prolific essayist and poet.
Photography courtesy of Bourdo Photography / Facebook
