The Archbishop of Australia attends a musical event in Havana
On Friday, 24 January 2025, as part of the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the consecration of the Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas in Havana, a wonderful musical event was held, hosted at the nearby Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, a 16th-century Catholic church.
The event was attended by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, who represented His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the anniversary celebrations in Havana. He was accompanied by His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of Mexico, and Their Graces, Bishop Athenagoras of Myrina, and Bishop Timotheos of Assos, while the Government of Cuba was represented by Mr. Fernando León Jacomino, Deputy Minister of Culture, and Ms. Leira Sánchez Valdivia.
During the beautiful evening, Cuban musicians performed classical music and offered the audience a feast of harmonious melodies, drawing warm applause from everyone. At the end, they received praise from His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, who, in his closing remarks, linked the harmony of the sounds heard with the kindness emanating from the people of Cuba, whom he was most impressed in making their acquaintance.
Paraphrasing a saying by the great Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, that one must be a lover of music to understand the harmony of tones, His Eminence emphatically emphasised: “To understand Cuba, you must be a lover of beauty; to be a lover of music, of art, of nature, of the noble feelings that distinguish the human person.” His Eminence assured that in his person, Cuba has acquired an ardent ambassador, who will not stop speaking about the country and its blessed people. “But do not expect all peoples to understand you,” he added, and concluded: “There will always be people and nations who will not be able to hear and understand the beats of your heart. However, Cuba is moving forward.”
Concluding his heartfelt greeting, the Archbishop of Australia recalled an exhortation: “If we cannot be saints, at least let us be kind people,” to observe that “I saw this here in Cuba. I saw a kind people, which really touched my heart.”
Finally, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios addressed words of praise to the local Shepherd, His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of Mexico, while conveying to everyone the wishes and blessings of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, personally wishing for God to grant all the good things of heaven to the people of Cuba.
