The Funeral Service for the Late Bishop Pavlos of Christianoupolis in Adelaide

On Monday, 23 September 2024, In an atmosphere of deep emotion, the Funeral Service was held for the Late Bishop Pavlos of Christianoupolis, with a participation of many faithful believers, at the Church of Saint George the Trophy-Bearer, in Adelaide. The Funeral Service was presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, who was joined bu Their Graces, Bishop Silouan of Adelaide, Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne, Bishop Evmenios of Chora, Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia and by a multitude of clergy.

In the Eulogy which he delivered, His Eminence referred extensively to the life and the Priestly and Hierarchical ministry of the late Hierarch, starting from his birthplace, Arta of Epirus, then referring to his tenure at the Theological School of Halki, the Holy Metropolis of Demetrias and Almyros and the Parish of the Holy Trinity in Melbourne, and finally the “city of churches”, Adelaide, from where he left for eternity on Tuesday, 17 September 2024.

Focusing on the period of his ministry in the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, after 1970, he underlined that at the Church of The Holy Trinity in Richmond, where the Late Bishop Pavlos served as Parish Priest, “he was valued and loved by our expatriates, who arrived in Melbourne in the hundreds during those difficult times and years of immigration”. He pointed out that his contribution, hard work and morals were appreciated by the ever-remembered Archbishop Stylianos of Australia, who in 1984 recommended his promotion to Bishop.

“As an Assistant Bishop of our Archdiocese, the Late Bishop Pavlos continued his fruitful ministry here in Adelaide,” he explained, “and worked with diligence and commitment to promote the work of the Church and the instruction of the flock, in a difficult time of division and disorder for the local Greek Community. Unfortunately, obstacles and temptations appeared in this blessed course, and, with the cooperation of the devil, who always desires the destruction and disintegration of the unity of the Church, the Late Bishop Pavlos broke his relations with the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and the Late Archbishop Stylianos and in time moved away from the canonical Church.

However, the ever-remembered Hierarch was a naturally conciliatory man, a man of grace, not stubborn and arrogant, but above all peaceful and meek, a cleric who was baptised in the threads of the pious Source of our Nation, our Ecumenical Patriarchate, and this was something that was indelibly engraved in his soul and shaped his entire being. After an unpleasant chapter, may I be allowed to use this term, in his priestly journey, the Late Bishop Pavlos repeatedly asked for the forgiveness of the Church, pleading for his restoration.

Referring then to the blessed day of 12 June 2019, when the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate restored the Bishop of Christianoupolis to his prior canonical status, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia spoke of an event that “gave great joy to him and to the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and to all the clergy and the people”. His Eminence then shared with the congregation an unforgettable personal memory of his, from the day when the Late Bishop once again officiated at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady, in Sydney. “He was overwhelmed and his eyes were tearing up. And when we were alone in the office, with great humility and many tears he said to me: “I praise God and thank our Patriarch, because I never expected that I would be found worthy to serve in the Cathedral where I also received the ordination to the Bishopric”.

In summing up, the Archbishop of Australia pointed out: “This is the precious bequest and legacy left to us by the Late Bishop Pavlos of Christianoupolis, and we must focus on this important aspect of his life, leaving aside what hurt and divided us, which After all, the tears of repentance of the Late Bishop Pavlos have been wiped away by the great love of our Patriarch. After all, for the mistakes, passions and weaknesses of the past, only Christ the Judge has the right to decide. We are taught and exemplified by the life of the Late Bishop, and, at the same time, we realise the power of repentance and forgiveness, but also the greatness of the Great Holy Church of Christ, which knows how to heal wounds with the oil of love and forgiveness and which always tries to rest the souls of humankind.”

Representing His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, His Eminence finally conveyed his paternal and patriarchal condolences to Their Graces Bishop Silouan of Adelaide and Bishop Evmenios of Chora, who represented the mourning of the Church, as well as to the relatives of the Late Hierarch, to his spiritual children and to all the people of the Holy Diocese of Adelaide. His Eminence also mentioned and underlined the devotion and contribution shown to the person of the Late Bishop Pavlos by the Kanaris family, who with great respect ministered and hosted the recently deceased Hierarch for the last thirty years. In fact, he sent warm thanks to Mrs. Anna Kanaris, wishing God to reward her for the love and respect her family offered to the late Hierarch.