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His Beatitude Patriarch
Theophilos III was elected the 141st primate of the Orthodox Church of
Jerusalem on August 22, 2005.
Formerly the Archbishop
of Tabor, Theophilus was elected unanimously by Jerusalem's Holy Synod to
succeed the deposed, Irenaios I. He is styled "Patriarch of the Holy City of
Jerusalem and all Palestine, Syria, Arabia, beyond the Jordan River, Cana of
Galilee and Holy Zion." His Beatitude is originally from Messinia, Greece.
He was born in 1952. and
in July 1964, he entered the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre. that same
year, he entered the Patriarchal School in Jerusalem, finishing in June
1970. On June 28, 1970, he was tonsured a monk with the name of Theophilos
by His Beatitude Benedict of Jerusalem. On July 1, 1970 ordained deacon by
Archbishop Basilios of Jordan.
He served as archdeacon
for then patriarch Benediktos. In 1975, ordained to the Priesthood by
Archbishop Diodoros of Ierapolis.
That same year, he was
sent to study at the theological department of the University of Athens by
the decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
After his return to Jerusalem, he worked in the General Secretariat of the
Holy Synod, the Patriarchal School, and St. Charalampos's Monastery.
In 1978, he was elevated
to the rank of archimandrite.
In 1981, he was appointed member of the editorial board of the "New Sion"
journal.
In December 1981, he was sent to England to complete his post-graduate
studies at Durham University. After his graduation in1986, appointed
secretary for foreign relations of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of
Jerusalem.
In 1988 appointed representative of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the
Central Committee of the WCC.
From 1991 to 1996, he was hegumen of the Monastery of St. George the
Trophy-Bearer in Cana of Galilee. In 1996, he was one of the first Christian
clergymen in centuries to make an opening into Emirate of Qatar, a
historically under the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of
Jerusalem. He subsequently served as Patriarchal Representative in Qatar.
From 2001 to 2003 he was the representative of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem
to the Moscow Patriarchate and rector of the Jerusalem representation church
in Moscow.
In 2003 he was appointed
Patriarchal Representative in Doha in the State of Qatar.
In 2004, he was appointed senior custodian of the Holy Sepulchre and elected
to the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
On February 14, 2005 he
was consecrated Archbishop of Mount Tabor.
On August 22, 2005 he was elected Patriarch of Jerusalem. His Beatitude
besides his native Greek, he also speaks English and Arabic. Other
Patriarchs of Jerusalem bearing the same name are Theofilos I, Patriarch of
Jerusalem from 1012 to 1020, and Theofilos II, Patriarch of Jerusalem from
1417 to 1424.
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