Christodoulos
Greece- Early Life and Education
- Ecclesiastical Career
- Archbishop of Athens and All Greece
- Interfaith Dialogue and Recognition
- Conflicts with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Greece
- Death and Legacy
Early Life and Education
Christodoulos Paraskevaides was born in 1939 in Xanthi, Northern Greece. He earned a law degree in 1962 and a theological degree from the University of Athens in 1967.
Ecclesiastical Career
Ordained a deacon in 1961 and a presbyter in 1965, Christodoulos served as a priest at the Parish of the Dormition in Paleo Faliro, Athens, for nine years. Subsequently, he became General Secretary of the Holy Synod for seven years. In 1974, he was elected Metropolitan of Demetrias, a historical diocese near present-day Volos.
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece
In 1998, Christodoulos was elected Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. His enthronement on May 9th was marked by political tensions and the absence of both the President and Prime Minister. He reorganized synodal committees to address modern social challenges, establishing a Synodal Committee on Bioethics.
Interfaith Dialogue and Recognition
In 2006, Christodoulos became the first head of the Church of Greece to make an official visit to the Vatican, meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. He had previously attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome in 2005. In 2008, the Russian International Award "For Outstanding Activities in Strengthening the Unity of Orthodox Peoples" was bestowed upon Christodoulos.
Conflicts with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Greece
Christodoulos's tenure was marked by conflicts with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek government. In 2004, the Patriarchate severed eucharistic relations with the Church of Greece over the appointment of bishops to dioceses in Northern Greece. The dispute was eventually resolved.
Christodoulos also criticized globalization and the separation of church and state. He defended terrorist attacks against the United States and referred to Turks as "Eastern barbarians."
Death and Legacy
Diagnosed with colon cancer in 2007, Christodoulos underwent surgery and a planned liver transplant was canceled due to the discovery of metastases. He returned to Greece and spent his remaining months at his home near Athens, where he passed away on January 28, 2008, at the age of 69.
Over 300,000 people visited the Athens Cathedral to pay their respects during his three-day lying-in-state. His funeral was conducted by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and attended by the political leadership of Greece. Patriarch Bartholomew praised Christodoulos's "zeal for ecclesiastical matters, his tireless work for the well-being of the Church, his closeness to the youth, his devotion to the Greek people, and his great contribution to the social and philanthropic works of the Church not only in Greece but also wherever our Orthodox brethren suffered—in Serbia, Russia, Lebanon, and other countries."
