Theodore (Theodoros) II (; born ''Nikolaos Khoreftakis'' (), November 25, 1954) is the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa. He was previously a monk in the Agarathos Holy Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Early life and education

He was born in the Greek island of

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 ...

in 1954, where he completed his schooling. He is a graduate of the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and holds a degree from the Theology Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He also studied History of Art, Literature and Philosophy in

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

. He was ordained as Deacon in 1975 and Archbishop on 23 April 1978 by Metropolitan of Lambis and Sfakion Theodore Tzedakis. From 1975 to 1985, he served as Archdeacon and Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of Lambis and Sfakion in

, where he developed significant Preaching and Philanthropic activities (hostels for needy youth, etc.). From 1985 to 1990 he served as Patriarchal Exarch in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, based in the Ukrainian city of

, during the tenure of Patriarchs Nicholas VI and Parthenios.

Years of ministry

Theodore established the Institution of Hellenic Culture and the Philiki Eterea Museum with 600 children, where they were taught a thorough knowledge of Greek. In 1990, he was ordained Bishop of Kyrene and was appointed Representative of Patriarch Parthenios in Athens (1990–97). He always accompanied Patriarch Parthenios on his travels throughout Africa and to many international, interfaith and theological conferences. In 1997, he was appointed Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria by Patriarch Petros VII to assist him at the outset of his Patriarchate and after ten months he was elected as Metropolitan of

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. He greatly developed missionary activity there. He built churches, schools and hospitals, helping many Africans and local Greeks. In 2002, he was transferred to the Holy Metropolis of

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

, where he established four missionary centres in

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

, a Hellenic Cultural Centre for 400 delegates, two large missionary centres in

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

, with a hospital, technical schools and nursery schools. Aided by the Greek Parliament he renovated the Hellenic Square (School-Church-Vicarage) in Beira,

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

. He founded churches and contributed to the establishment of the Hellenic Communities of Botswana and Angola.

Patriarch of Alexandria

Following the sudden death of late Patriarch Petros in a helicopter crash, Theodore was unanimously elected on October 9, 2004 by the Synod of the Alexandrian Throne as Patriarch. The enthronement ceremony took place at the Cathedral of Annunciation in Alexandria, on Sunday, October 24, 2004, in the presence of distinguished religious and civilian representatives and a great number of faithful. He is the seventh of Patriarch of Alexandria of Cretan origin after Silvester, Meletius Pigas, Cyrillos Lucaris, Gerasimus Palladas, Gerasimus Spartaliotis and Meletius Metaxakis. On 8 November 2019, Patriarch Theodore II formally recognised the autocephaly granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine earlier that year. In response, the Moscow Patriarchate (the ROC) severed eucharistic communion with Patriarch Theodore and the like-minded bishops of his church, a decision that was confirmed by the Standing Holy Synod of the ROC on 26 December 2019.

Awards

* Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Prince Vladimir I degree ( ROC, 2007) * Order of Glory and Honor I degree (ROC, 2013) * Order of the UOC-MP of the Monks Anthony and Theodosius of the Kyiv-Pechersk I degree (2007) * The Golden Order of St. George (Georgian Orthodox Church, 2008) * The Patriarch Alexy II Prize "For outstanding activities to strengthen the unity of Orthodox peoples. For the approval and promotion of Christian values in the life of society" (2012) * Order of the Serbian flag of the I degree (September 26, 2017, Serbia) * Medal of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, 1st Degree (December 6, 2017, St. Petersburg Theological Academy)«НЕСМОТРЯ НА ТО, ЧТО НА ГОЛОВЕ У МЕНЯ ТИАРА, А НА ГРУДИ ПАНАГИЯ – В СЕРДЦЕ Я ОСТАЮСЬ МИССИОНЕРОМ». ПАТРИАРХ ФЕОДОР II ПОСЕТИЛ ДУХОВНУЮ АКАДЕМИЮ
Retrieved on 28 Feb 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theodore 02 Of Alexandria, Patriarch 1954 births Living people Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece 21st-century Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Alexandria People from Chania (regional unit) Aristotle University of Thessaloniki alumni Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class People from Heraklion (regional unit)