The University of Notre Dame Australia has awarded an Honorary Doctorate to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in recognition of his inspiring work to unify contemporary society.
His All-Holiness is the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians across the globe, and a voice of hope and unity who travels around the world encouraging inter-faith dialogue.
The Honorary Doctorate was conferred on His All-Holiness during a special ceremony at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney last night.
Notre Dame's Chancellor, The Hon. Christopher Ellison, said it was an honour to recognise the role played by His All-Holiness in promoting unity during his historic visit to Australia.
"His All-Holiness's religious leadership in fostering and deepening dialogue among believers serves as a beacon of hope," he said.
"He plays a unique role in promoting unity among all Christians, and between humanity and nature. Through his actions, he demonstrates that living out one's faith involves a deep commitment to ecology and to honoring creation in all its forms."
His All-Holiness praised Notre Dame for its commitment to bridge-building, integrating and embracing differences and offering its students both global and local experiences to facilitate outreach to the most marginalised members of society.
"We are always in closer proximity to each other in more ways than we are distant from or different to one another," His All-Holiness said.
"There is incomparably more than we share with each other and resemble one another than what may separate us if only we begin to see the other with new eyes."
His All-Holiness's leadership is marked by his commitment to visiting Orthodox communities, while also building meaningful relationships with other Christian churches and communities, and leaders from other faiths.
He played an important role in building Catholic-Orthodox relations when he attended the inauguration of His Holiness Pope Francis in March 2013.
The following year, Pope Francis and His All Holiness jointly declared their resolution to promote the "full unity of all Christians."
The visit by His All Holiness coincides with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia – a milestone for more than 400,000 Australians.
He has visited Australia twice as Ecumenical Patriarch and spent time at Notre Dame's Fremantle Campus during his first visit in 1996.
