The grand hall of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) hosted a solemn ceremony to confer an honorary doctorate upon His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, Exarch of All Oceania, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. The honor was bestowed by the Faculty of Theology’s Departments of Theology and Social Theology and Religious Studies.
The event was graced by the presence of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece, and by a multitude of representatives from the nation’s political and academic world, underscoring the significance of the occasion for both the University and the honored guest.
The Rector of the University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, opened the proceedings with a welcoming address, setting the tone for the ceremony. This was followed by a presentation of Archbishop Makarios’s life and contributions, delivered by the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Professor Emmanouil Karageorgoudis.
The Dean highlighted the Archbishop’s impactful six-year tenure in Australia, during which he revitalized the vibrant Orthodox community through numerous initiatives.
Among his achievements, Archbishop Makarios founded Greek language schools, enhanced the St. Andrew’s Theological College in Sydney, and established a Byzantine Music School, contributing to the preservation and promotion of Greek Orthodox heritage.
The ceremony included the reading of the official Resolution, the Declaration of the Honorary Doctorate, and the presentation of the academic insignia, symbolizing the conferral of the title.
Archbishop Makarios concluded the event with a thought-provoking address titled Vox Populi (Voice of the People) on the Internet: The Modern Threat of Distorting Ecclesiastical and Democratic Conscience.
His speech, characterized by theological and sociological insight, explored the challenges posed by the internet to contemporary public and ecclesiastical discourse, reflecting deeply on the implications for collective consciousness.
Rector Siasos, in his address, acknowledged the presence of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, expressing heartfelt respect and admiration. He emphasized the historic honor bestowed upon the Patriarch, who holds the unique distinction of being an Honorary Doctor of all Schools and Departments of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
The ceremony was a moment of profound symbolic significance, celebrating not only the contributions of Archbishop Makarios but also the enduring connection between the Orthodox Church and the Greek academic community.
