On Saturday the 30th of March, ordinary citizens, clerics, politicians and public figures from the wider Greek community in Australia attended the last farewell to the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia Stylianos, during the funeral service held at the Cathedral Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady in Sydney.
The Archbishops full name Sty-lianos Harkianakis, was born in Greece’s city of Rethymno in 1935.
He studied Theology at the famous Theological School of Halki in modern-day Turkey and graduated in 1958. He was ordained a deacon in 1957 and a priest at the year of his graduation.
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 Rat-zinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI.
He served as the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia and Exarch of Oceania since 1975.
During his time, he engaged in many dialogues between Orthodoxy and other Christian groups, most prominently as co-chairman of the theological dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church, but also as co-chairman of the dialogue with the Anglican churches.
His full academic record can be seen below.