Ieronymos II (born March 10, 1938, 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.
Titles
Styles of
Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens
Reference style His Beatitude
Spoken style Your Beatitude, Déspota
Religious style Archbishop
Posthumous style N/A

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." [6]
See also

List of Archbishops of Athens

Notes and references

"Greek Orthodox bishops elect leader", CNN.com/europe. Accessed 7 February 2008.
"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

"Greek Jews fight neo-Nazi party".

External links

Archdiocese of Athens Official website (Greek)