Cretans of Australia and New Zealand congratulate the new Archbishop of Crete

The President of the Cretan Federation of Australia and New Zealand, Mr. Antonis Tsourdalakis, congratulates the new Archbishop of Crete, Eugenios for his election, after his enthronement in the high office of Archbishop of Crete.

On behalf of all the Cretans of Australia and New Zealand, we shout “AXIOS – PANAXIOS “, in Mr Tsourdalakis’ letter to His Eminence, providing the promise that “we will be by your side, to support you, in every call of yours”.

The letter in detail:

Yours Eminence,

Happy and Blessed New Year. I wish from the bottom of my heart that every moment you walk in 2022 is full of health, love, peace and strength, while every goal you set will be achieved. It is with great emotion that flooded us when we heard the good news of your election as the new Archbishop of our beloved Crete.

Knowing personally how remarkable your character is and how much you will offer by assuming the highest ecclesiastical office, we are grateful to our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Synod that voted for you for the office of Archbishop of Crete. We are convinced that your beginning as the new Archbishop of Crete is the beginning of a new creative era for Crete.

I had the honor and pleasure to know you personally and to have worked with you since 2010 where you took over the position of Metropolitan of Rethymno and Avlopotamos. I have always been very proud that in my particular homeland, Rethymno, such a respectable, active but always humble Metropolitan served our church.

In each of my trips to Crete we always met exchanging views on how we could support our compatriots in Crete and especially in Rethymno but also to take advantage of a constructive relationship of Cretans Abroad living in distant Australia bringing them closer to their homeland.

A milestone for me personally in the many years of cooperation we have as President at the World Council of Cretans was your official visit to Antipodes in March 2013 where you were invited by the Holy Archdiocese of Australia to the Clergy-Laity Conference in Sydney, as well as to the Blessing of the Agiasmo for the Melbourne Cretan Association. It was a great honour for the Cretan Greek Diaspora to receive the then Metropolitan of Rethymno & Avlopotamos Evgenios.

On behalf of the Cretan Federation of Australia & New Zealand, I would like to warmly congratulate you on your position as the new Archbishop of Crete and wish you every success in the great work ahead of you, but also in the great legacy left by the former Archbishop of Crete Ireneos, whom we had the honor to have with us in Australia in 1975 as Metropolitan of Kydonia & Apokoronas and since then a very close cooperation.

On behalf of all the Cretans of Australia and New Zealand we shout “AXIOS – PANAXIOS”. As President of the Cretan community here in Antipodes, I feel deep emotion that I have a friend in you, while I will have the honor to work with you again. We promise that we will be by your side, to support you, in every call.

With Cretan and cordial greetings, We hope to meet in Crete in the summer.

Antonis Tsourdalakis

President