Preface

The Melkites in Australia, as in the other countries of the Diaspora, are living in a state of internal or psychological conflict - by this, I mean that we are, at the same time, both Eastern and Western. First, we are Easterners because we are members of an Eastern and Byzantine Church with our roots in Orthodoxy and the Arab world. Second, we are Westerners because we have entered into full communion with the Holy See in Rome.

It is true that our ecclesial union with Rome was a great benefit, however, this must not prevent us being honest in saying that we sometimes find ourselves in a difficult situation. Our mission must be clear to us - and that is to bear courageous witness to the possibility, and indeed the necessity, of the reunion of the Undivided Church of the first one thousand years. We must be proud to be Melkite Catholic, Eastern and Western at the same time. Although we are but a small Church, it cannot be denied that we have brought to the West that which is positive in the Eastern Church. Likewise, we have been the means by which the worthwhile in the West has been made available to the Christians of the East.

Our honesty and courage in preserving our Eastern Christian heritage, and, our refusal to be Latinised, are invaluable contributions to the evolution of the Dialogue of Love, the ecumenical encounters between the Churches, and, the progress towards Christian unity. This is why I appeal to you to be faithful to the tradition of our Melkite Church. May we be ever worthy and grateful heirs of the legacy bequeathed to us by forebears in the Faith – our parents and grandparents, and the priests who struggled to preserve and safeguard our Church in Australia.

With great appreciation, we must acknowledge that the Latin Church in Australia, and especially the Conference of Australian Catholic Bishops, has played a vital role in the protection of our eastern Catholic heritage and traditions. Today, I think of each of these worthy bishops, both those still with us and those who have reposed in the Lord, who have shown on every occasion the greatest fraternal empathy with us. It is my fervent prayer to the Lord to watch over the Catholic Church in Australia as it continues, as always to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ, risen in glory from the dead.

Archbishop John Issam Darwish

20 November 2009
Opening of the Convention