Archbishop Makarios of Australia sent his message for ANZAC Day. He stated, “Today we respectfully honour the thousands of men and women who gave their lives for Australia.”
He added that through the ANZAC struggles, the bonds of friendship between the Greeks and the Australians have been forged and that they were ties that remain strong to today. He concluded, “In this difficult concurrence, we are inspired by our historical memory and encouraged to struggle together in a spirit of solidarity so that we all come out of this stronger and hold onto the hope that next year we will again proudly celebrate Anzac Day and be able to repeat the same phrase: Lest we forget!”
The full message of Archbishop Makarios of Australia is the following:
Today we respectfully honour the thousands of men and women who gave their lives for Australia. We remember their sacrifice with gratitude and are inspired by their virtue and the principles for which they fought.
At the same time, we cannot forget the strong bonds of friendship that were forged between the Greek and Australian people; bonds that remain strong to today.
This year’s anniversary coincides with a different but, nonetheless, serious trial facing Australian society – the corona pandemic. In this difficult concurrence, we are inspired by our historical memory and encouraged to struggle together in a spirit of solidarity so that we all come out of this stronger and hold onto the hope that next year we will again proudly celebrate Anzac Day and be able to repeat the same phrase: “Lest we forget!”