Patriarch Photios II of Constantinople

Photios II (also Fotios ), ( * 1874 on the Princes Islands ( Adalar ) as Dimitrios Maniatis, † December 29, 1935 in Istanbul) was from 1929 to 1935 Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Opel.

Life

After basic training, he attended the University Zarifeio in Philippopolis in Bulgaria. He then studied theology and philosophy in Athens in Munich. In 1902 he was ordained a deacon. Then he returned to Plovdiv. From 1906 to 1914 he was Exarch of Philippopolis. In 1914 he was forced by the outbreak of the First World War to leave Bulgaria to Greece, and a year later became Auxiliary Bishop of Eirinoupolis. Photios II spoke five languages ​​(Greek, Turkish, French, German and Bulgarian).

On October 7, 1929, he was elected by the Holy Synod as Patriarch of Constantinople Opel and enthroned as honorary head of the Orthodox Christianity solemnly. During his patriarchate, the relationship between Greece and Turkey improved significantly. 1931 he could pay his respects at the Phanar in a political thaw phase of the Greek Prime Minister Venizelos. On this occasion, the Turkish President Ataturk spoke to him officially with the title of patriarch, even though the authorities of the Republic this titulary not really recognize.

The appointment of the later Patriarch of Constantinople Opel Athenagoras I ( Spyrou eigtl Aristokles ) to solve Archbishop of North and South America, based in New York, he tried the problems of the Orthodox Church in America. Photios II died on December 29, 1935 at the age of 61 years. His successor, Metropolitan Benjamin Christodoulou ( Patriarch Benjamin I. ) was chosen.