Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: First Recipient of an Ecclesiastical Honorary Doctoral Award by St Andrew’s Theological College

On Saturday, 5 October 2024, St Andrew’s Theological College conferred its first ever ecclesiastical honorary doctorate upon His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The ceremony began impressively, with a formal procession of Council and Faculty members led into the auditorium of the University of Sydney Seymour Centre by the sound of Scottish bagpipes from members of the historic ‘Sydney Thistle Highland Pipe Band’, followed by the College’s standard and flag bearers. His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, President and Dean of the College, led the recipient of the doctoral award onto the dais for the formal commencement of the ceremony.

After His All-Holiness was welcomed and formally introduced to all the 1000 guests in attendance, the citation was read by Dr John Lee (BA PhD DD FAHA), an honorary member of the Faculty, and from the College’s establishment in 1986, lecturer in New Testament Greek. Amongst other things, the citation noted that His All-Holiness was being conferred this prestigious award of the highest order for “his consummate contribution to the discipline of Canon Law and to Orthodox theology more broadly… Moreover his extraordinary leadership, which has shown forth in many and varied ways, the ecumenical breadth and vision of Orthodoxy on a global scale coupled with his unrivalled ecological commitment, his concern for the dignity of the human person, his tireless work for peace and reconciliation and the promotion of human rights, in all which he has taken significant steps forward, unequivocally warrant this decision by St Andrew’s Theological College.”

Following the formal reading of the citation, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios presented His All-Holiness with the award and the College academic stole. His All-Holiness delivered his keynote address titled ‘The Synodality of the Church’ at which he underlined that synodality constitutes the inherent being of the Church reminding the audience that the Church from “the day of its revelation to the world, exists in Synod, that is, assembled 'in one place' in the Holy Spirit.”

In another part of his address, His All-Holiness clarified that synodality in the Orthodox Church “cannot be understood as a system akin to representative democracy, where the Churches are perceived and understood as federated states with the primary characteristic of numerical representation and the leveling logic found in some Orthodox Churches today.” He explained that the synodal ethos of the Church is authentically expressed under two essential and unchanging conditions: "First condition: the office, or rather the gift and responsibility, of the First. [...] Second condition: synodality cannot exist outside the rules and boundaries established by the Holy Ecumenical Councils.”

Concluding his theological address on synodality, the Ecumenical Patriarch referred to the new Constitution of the Archdiocese of Australia, which provides for the creation of a Synod of Bishops, and he congratulated Archbishop Makarios for this initiative. Additionally, he thanked the Archbishop, as Dean of the Theological School, as well as its teaching staff, for the honour bestowed upon him. Finally, he addressed the young attendees with paternal affection, urging them to remain close to the Church and to Christ, "Who will never disappoint you.”

In honour of the presence of His All-Holiness and in order to mark the momentous occasion, the Greek Orthodox Christian Society staged a celebratory performance showcasing key moments in the history of Orthodoxy in Australia through a vibrant tapestry of song and dance, all of which aimed to honour His All-Holiness, but equally reflect the solid foundations upon which the Church in Australia stands.

The President and Dean of the College, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia offered important concluding remarks, first thanking His All-Holiness for accepting the invitation extended unanimously by the College Council to recognise him as its first honorary ‘Doctor of Sacred Theology’. His Eminence recalled the efforts made by his predecessors in the establishment of an accredited tertiary institution in the theology and spoke extensively about the personality of the Ecumenical Patriarch, whom he recognised as a “model theologian” who, throughout his 33-year Patriarchal tenure has always expressed “with great boldness and wisdom” the theological teachings of the Mother Church. “This is the theology of the Great Church of Christ and our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: the theology of the truth of faith, the saving theology of the Church, the theology of the Holy and Venerable Ecumenical Councils and our Fathers. This is the theology that the world needs today,” he emphatically concluded.