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{{orthodoxyinaustralasiasmall}}
The '''Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand''' existed, first as a Metropolis in 1924, then as an Archdiocese in 1959, until the seperation split of the Archdiocese in 1970. The successors to this Archdiocese are the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia]], and the [[Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Zealand]].
==History==
The first [[priest]] to serve in Australia was [[Archimandrite]] Dorotheos Bakaliaros around 1896. In 1898 the first Greek Orthodox parish was established, named after the [[Holy Trinity]]. Communities were originally supplied with priests from the [[Church of Jerusalem]], and later the [[Church of Greece]], and there was no attempt to organise the communities into a [[diocese]].
In 1924, the Greek Orthodox parishes in Australia were transferred to the [[Church of Constantinople]], who sent [[Christoforos (Knitis) of Samos|Christoforos (Knitis)]] to be the first [[metropolitan]] of Australia and New Zealand. He served until 1929 when he returned to Samos, his homeland. The next metropolitan was [[Timotheos (Evangelinidis) of Rhodes|Timotheos (Evangelinidis)]], and he arrived in 26 January, 1932, serving until he was elected metropolitan of Rhodes in 1947. He was replaced by [[Theophylactos (Papathanasopoulos) of Australia and New Zealand|Theophylactos (Papathanasopoulos)]], who served until his death in a car crash on 2 August, 1958. [[Ezekiel (Tsoukalas) of Pisidia|Ezekiel (Tsoukalas)]], then an assistant [[bishop]] in [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|America]], was elected metropolitan of Australia and New Zealand in February 1959, and arrived on 2 April 1959.
On 1 September of that year, the [[Metropolis]] of Australia and New Zealand was elevated to [[Archdiocese]], and Ezekiel to Archbishop. Later, in 1970, the Holy Synod of the [[Church of Constantinople]] separated New Zealand from Australia, leaving the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and the [[Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Zealand]].
==Primates==
*Metropolitan [[Christoforos (Knitis) of Australia and New Zealand|Christoforos]] of Australia and New Zealand
*Metropolitan [[Timotheos (Evangelinidis) of Rhodes|Timotheos]] of Australia and New Zealand
*Metropolitan [[Theophylactos (Papathanasopoulos) of Australia and New Zealand|Theophylactos]] of Australia and New Zealand
*Archbishop [[Ezekiel (Tsoukalas) of Pisidia|Ezekiel]] of Australia and New Zealand
[[Category:Dioceses]]
[[Category:Ecumenical Patriarchate Dioceses]]
[[Category:Jurisdictions]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in Australia]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in New Zealand]]
