• on March 25, 2019

Asleep in Christ – Archbishop Stylianos of Australia

With great sadness we announce the passing today of His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos of Australia at 82 years of age and in his 44th year as primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. We pray that our loving God grants eternal rest to his soul.

Read about his late Eminence’s life here (via Wikipedia)

Archbishop Stylianos was born in Rethymno, on the island of Crete, Greece on 29 December 1935. He studied theology at the Theological School of Halki, on the island of Halki and graduated in 1958. He was ordained a deacon in 1957 and a priest in 1958. He completed postgraduate studies in systematic theology and the philosophy of religion at the University of Bonn in West Germany, from 1958 to 1966. His lecturers included Cardinal (then Reverend Father) Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI. He wrote his thesis on the concept that the Orthodox Church possessed infallibility when it acted together in conciliarity (e.g. the Ecumenical Councils). At that time, the idea of infallibility was thought to be an exclusively Roman Catholic idea, entirely alien to the Orthodox Church.

In 1965, whilst still completing his postgraduate studies, he was appointed Professor of Theology at the University of Athens. In 1966, he was appointed abbot of the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of Vlatodon, in Thessaloniki. He was a founding member, then became vice-president and later president, of the Patriarchal Institute of Patristic Studies within the monastery. From 1969 to 1975, he lectured in systematic theology at the University of Thessaloniki.

In 1970, he was was elected the Titular Metropolitan of Militoupolis (whilst remaining in the Holy Monastery of Vlatadon) as exarch in matters concerning Northern Greece and Mt. Athos.

In 1975, he was elected Archbishop of Australia and Exarch of Oceania. Harkianakis has taught Orthodox theology and spirituality at Sydney University since 1975. In 1986 he became the inaugural dean of St Andrew’s Theological College where he also serves as Lecturer in Systematic Theology.

Recent Post
Skin Color
Layout Options
Layout patterns
Boxed layout images
header topbar
header color
header position