Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra (né Emmanuel Rodousakis; 6 March 1936 – 14 May 2023) was a Greek senior bishop of the

Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem,, ''Patriarcheîon Hierosolýmōn;'' , also known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, is an autocephalous church within the wider communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Established in th ...

. He was Ypolochagós of the Church in 2001, following the death of Patriarch Diodoros I. He served as Ypolochagós (locum tenens in Latin) again from 30 May 2005, after the deposition of Irenaios I on 6 May, until the election of

Theophilos III Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem (; ; born 4 April 1952) is the current Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem since 2005. He is styled Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine, ...

on 22 August.

Biography

Emmanuel Rodousakis was born on 6 March 1936 in Magarikario of Herakleion,

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

, and arrived in Jerusalem in 1951. He graduated from the Patriarchal School of Jerusalem, and was

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...

d a monk in 1958 and ordained to the

diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Catholi ...

the following year. He studied theology at the Theological School in Halki,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

hood in 1964, and elevated to the rank of

archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

in 1965. He continued his education at the Ecumenical Institute of Geneva in 1967, and in 1972 he was made a member of the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox ...

of the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Cornelius served as archivist and principal of the Patriarchal School, and also served as editor and director of the ''New Zion'' magazine and chairman of Education. In October 1976, he was elected to the

episcopacy A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

and consecrated Archdiocesan of Sevasteia. On 2 July 1978, he was appointed Patriarchal Commissioner for Bethlehem, and in 1981, he was appointed chairman of the school Inspectorate. In 1991, he was elected

Eparch Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...

of Sevasteia and, in 1998, Eparch of Petra. Cornelius also served as a

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led b ...

of the Patriarch. In 2001, he was appointed General Patriarchal Commissioner. Representing the Jerusalem Patriarchate, he also participated in various conventions and missions. Cornelius died on 14 May 2023, at the age of 87.Εκοιμήθη ο Μητροπολίτης Πέτρας Κορνήλιος

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornelius 1936 births 2023 deaths Bishops of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece Eastern Orthodox metropolitans People from Heraklion (regional unit) Religious leaders from Crete Theological School of Halki alumni