Ieronymos II of Athens
| His Beatitude Ieronymos II | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Athens | |
 | |
| Native name | Ιερώνυμος B΄ |
| Installed | 7 February 2008 |
| Predecessor | Christodoulos |
| Other posts | Metropolitan of Thebes and Levadeia (1981–2008) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1967 |
| Consecration | 1981 |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Ioannis Liapis |
| Born |
10 March 1936 Oinofyta, Boeotia, Greece |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Denomination | Orthodoxy |
| Profession | Theologian |
| Alma mater |
University of Athens University of Graz University of Regensburg University of Munich |
Ieronymos II (born March 10, 1936, Greek: Ιερώνυμος B', Ierōnymos; Latin: Hieronymus II, English: Jerome II) is the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece and as such the primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece. He was elected on 7 February 2008.[1]
Early life and career
He was born Ioannis Liapis (Greek: Ιωάννης Λιάπης, Iōánnēs Liápēs) in Oinofyta, Boeotia.[2] He is an Arvanite.[3]
Ieronymos holds degrees in archaeology, Byzantine studies, and theology from the University of Athens. He has undertaken postgraduate studies at the University of Graz, the University of Regensburg and the University of Munich.[2] Following a stint as lector in Christian archaeology at the Athens Archaeological Society under professor Anastasios Orlandos, he taught as a philologist in Lycée Léonin and he was ordained deacon and then presbyter in the Orthodox Church in 1967.[2]
Ieronymos served as Protosyncellus of the Metropolis of Thebes and Livadeia, abbot of the monasteries of the Transfiguration of Sagmata and Hosios Loukas, and Secretary, later Archsecretary, of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. In 1981 he was elected Metropolitan Bishop of Thebes and Levadeia. In addition to his pastoral ministry, Ieronymos has been pursuing his work on Christian archaeology and has published two major textbooks: "Medieval Monuments of Euboea" (1970), and "Christian Boeotia" (2006). In 1998, he unsuccessfully contested the election to the throne of the archbishopric of Athens.[2]
On 7 February 2008, Ieronymos was elected the new Archbishop of Athens and All Greece by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece,[4] receiving 45 out of 74 votes in a two-ballot process.[5] He formally took office on 16 February 2008.
As of 2016, Ieronymos, is involved in a dispute with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople over who has ecclesiastical authority over certain parts of Greece.[6]
On 16 April 2016 he visited, together with Pope Francis and Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the Mòria camp in the island of Lesbos, to call the attention of the world to the refugee issue.[7]
Titles
| Styles of Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Beatitude |
| Spoken style | Your Beatitude, Déspota |
| Religious style | Archbishop |
The official title of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece is:
His Beatitude, Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece;
in Greek:
Η Αυτού Μακαριότης ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Αθηνών και Πάσης Ελλάδος Ιερώνυμος Β'
Social and political views
In 2012, Ieronymos criticized racism, antisemitism and the Golden Dawn party, saying that "The church loves all people, including those who are black, white or non-Christians." [8]
See also
Notes and references
- ↑ "Greek Orthodox bishops elect leader", CNN.com/europe. Accessed 7 February 2008.
- 1 2 3 4 "Ο μητροπολίτης Θηβών εξελέγη νέος Αρχιεπίσκοπος", (Greek), Accessed 7 February 2008.
- ↑ Bintliff, John (2003), "The Ethnoarchaeology of a “Passive” Ethnicity: The Arvanites of Central Greece" in K.S. Brown and Yannis Hamilakis, eds., The Usable Past: Greek Metahistories, Lexington Books. p.139
- ↑ "Bulletin of the Church of Greece. Accessed 7 February 2008.
- ↑ "New Leader Named for Greek Orthodox Church, New York Times, 2008-02-07
- ↑ http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2016/04/pope-and-refugees
- ↑ Pope Francis visits Lesbos. The Guardian. Published: 16 April 2016
- ↑ "Greek Jews fight neo-Nazi party".
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronimos II. |
- Archdiocese of Athens Official website (Greek)
| Eastern Orthodox Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Christodoulos |
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece 2008 – present |
Incumbent |
| Patriarchates |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other autocephalous churches |
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