00:00Honouring a holy guest, thousands packed into Melbourne Park to welcome the ecumenical Patriarch
00:10Bartholomew.
00:11Like the Catholics have their Pope, we have our Patriarch, so it's really fantastic.
00:17It's bringing all the community together, the Orthodox community together.
00:22The visit coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
00:27Oh it's brilliant, his holiness is in town, we're just enjoying his presence here and
00:33enjoying everyone getting together.
00:35Some felt almost too excited.
00:37I don't know how to explain it, but there's like this nervous feeling too.
00:43The Patriarch walked side by side with the Prime Minister as school students paraded
00:48before them showcasing their traditional culture.
00:50Our next group of students have travelled from as far as Perth with them to Australia.
00:57The stadium here has transformed into a Greek cultural celebration to honour the Patriarch's
01:02arrival here in Melbourne.
01:04We love you Panayotete.
01:08The Patriarch is the spiritual leader of more than 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide
01:13and has a huge influence in Australia.
01:16You have become one of the most revered religious figures of our time.
01:22You were one of the first global spiritual leaders to raise awareness about climate change
01:28and environmental issues.
01:30Patriarch Bartholomew told the gathering he's been touched by the warmth and hospitality
01:34of the Australian people during his two week visit.
01:37Even though we might be geographically apart, nevertheless we are all bound together.
01:45A message felt in the hearts of the Orthodox community.
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