Photius II of Constantinople (; born ''Dimitrios Maniatis'', Δημήτριος Μανιάτης; 1874 – 29 December 1935) was

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...

from 7 October 1929 until 29 December 1935.

Biography

He was born in 1874 and baptised as Dimitrios Maniatis. After finishing elementary education, he attended the Zariphios School in Philippopolis. He studied theology at the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...

and philosophy at the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

. He spoke Greek,

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, Bulgarian,

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and

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fluently. In 1902, he was ordained deacon. He remained in the Metropolis of Philippopolis, where he reached the rank of ''

protosynkellos A protosyncellus, protosynkellos or protosyngel () is the principal deputy of the bishop of an eparchy for the exercise of administrative authority in an Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic church. The equivalent position in the Western Christi ...

''. Then was named Patriarchal

Exarch An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, ...

of Philippopolis for the period 1906–1914. In 1915, he was elected assistant bishop of Eirinoupoli. On 7 October 1929, he was elected

Ecumenical Patriarch The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...

and enthroned on the same day. While in office, the Turkish authorities attempted to reduce the rank of the patriarch to that of "first clergyman" (Baspapaz) of the Rum Patrikhanesi; Photios II responded by refusing to accept or open any envelopes that did not bear the title "Patriarch" or "Ecumenical Patriarch". After over a year, the Turkish authorities relented. He was in contact with

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

, the future Pope John XXIII, who moved to Istanbul in 1934 and assisted Photios II with the movement of many Jews from Eastern Europe into Palestine. The patriarch Photios II died on 29 December 1935 and was succeeded by

Benjamin I of Constantinople Benjamin I of Constantinople (, 18 January 1871 – 17 February 1946) was 265th list of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1936 to 1946. Early life Benjamin was born as Benjamin Psomas on 18 J ...

Notes and references

External links

Photios II biography at the Ecumenical Patriarchate web site
20th-century ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople 1874 births Turkish people of Greek descent Greek Freemasons 1935 deaths National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni People from Princes' Islands {{EasternOrthodoxy-bishop-stub