Neophytus II ( el, Νεόφυτος Βʹ) was Patriarch of Constantinople twice, in 1602–03 and in 1607–12.
An Athens, Athenian, he served as Metropolitan of Athens from 1597 until 3 April 1602, when he was elected as Patriarch in the place of his rival, Patriarch Matthew II of Constantinople, Matthew II. His tenure was cut short a year later, when he was deposed amid accusations of various scandals. He was initially exiled to Rhodes, and thence to Saint Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula, Sinai.
He was restored to the patriarchal throne on 15 October 1607, and held it for five years. During his second tenure he took care of aligning church administrative practice and canon law with the contemporary needs, and took measures to replenish the patriarchal coffers. He was also in contact with Western potentates, including Pope Paul V and King Philip III of Spain, whom he urged to engage in a crusade to liberate the Orthodox Christians from the Ottoman Empire, going as far as to make considerable concessions to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, including recognizing papal primacy.
[Adina Ruiu,]
Conflicting Visions of the Jesuit Missions to the Ottoman Empire, 1609–1628
, ''Journal of Jesuit Studies'', Volume 1 (2014): Issue 2 (March 2014): Jesuit Missionary Perspectives and Strategies, p. 260–280. "As [François de Canillac (1574–1629)] summarized in the letter of 10 January 1612, the Orthodox patriarch Neophytus II wished to send his nephew to Rome and to live in “peace and union” with the Latin church, but he was forced to hide his wish for fear of repression." (footnote 31) His pro-Western policy and financial exactions made him many enemies, including Cyril Lucaris, who succeeded in securing his deposition in October 1612. Originally slated to be exiled to Rhodes again, he was protected by his successor, Patriarch Timothy II of Constantinople, Timothy II, who had been his protégé.
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16th-century births
17th-century deaths
16th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops
16th-century Greek clergy
17th-century Ecumenical Patriarchs of Constantinople
17th-century Greek clergy
Bishops of Athens
Greeks from the Ottoman Empire
Clergy from Athens