Gregory VII of Constantinople

Gregory VII of Constantinople
Gregory VII of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
In office	6 December 1923 –; 17 November 1924
Predecessor	Meletius IV of Constantinople
Successor	Constantine VI of Constantinople
Personal details
Born	Gregory Zervoudakis; 21 September 1850; Stavri (Apollonia) of Sifnos, Greece
Died	17 November 1924 (aged 74)

Gregory VII of Constantinople (Greek: Γρηγόριος Ζʹ; secular name Gregorios Zervoudakis (Ζερβουδάκης);^[1] 21 September 1850 – 17 November 1924) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1923 until 1924. He was the Metropolis of Chalcedon before being elevated to the patriarchal throne.^[2] He imported the New Style Calendar to the Church of Constantinople. He died suddenly of a massive heart attack in 1924.

Biography

He was born in Stavri (Apollonia) of Sifnos. He studied at the Theological School of Halki, from which he graduated in 1882, after submitting a thesis entitled "On the Authenticity of the Four Gospels". He served in the Diocese of Rhodes as deacon and as chancellor (protosygelos).

In 1887 he was elected bishop of Myreo; in 1892 metropolitan of Serres; in 1909 metropolitan of Kyzikos; and in 1913 metropolitan of Chalcedon. During the Asia Minor campaign, when the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople decided to sever relations with the government of the Ottoman Empire, Gregory VII, disagreeing with this decision, resigned as president of the National Joint Council and from the Holy Synod and retired to his Metropolis.

After the resignation of Patriarch Meletius IV of Constantinople on 20 September 1923, the Synod of the Patriarchate was convened for the first election of a Patriarch after the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne. The Government of Turkey set the inviolable condition that the person elected must have Turkish citizenship. On 6 December 1923, only those bishops residing in Constantinople gathered for the election of a new Patriarch. The bishops selected Gregory VII, who had not been involved in secular political issues and had even maintained good relations with the Turkish authorities. After his election, Gregory VII sent a letter of recognition to the Turkish Government in Ankara. Papa Eftim I, the head of the Turkish Orthodox Church, and his followers opposed the election.

Gregory VII was enthroned on 6 December 1923. On 19 February 1924, the Synodal Court deposed Papa Eftim I for "faction and attitude". On 10 May 1924, Metropolitan Vasilios (Komvopoulos) of Chaldea, who had organized churches in America without the permission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, was also deposed. With his actions towards the Greek Government, Gregory tried to avoid the expulsion of clergy based on the agreed exchange of populations. In 1924 he recognized the autocephaly of the Polish Orthodox Church. He established the Metropolises of the Princes' Islands, of Central Europe, and of Australia.

In September 1924, Gregory VII developed gallstones that developed into obstructive jaundice that could not be treated. He died on 17 November of the same year.

Notes and references

^ Demetrius Kiminas, The Ecumenical Patriarchate (Borgo Press, 2009) p. 43.
^ Paschalis Kitromilides, Religion and Politics in the Orthodox World - The Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Challenges of Modernity (Taylor & Francis, 2018), p. 67.

External links

His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory VII of Constantinople

Eastern Orthodox Church titles
Preceded by Meletius IV	Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1923 – 1924	Succeeded by Constantine VI

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[1] Demetrius Kiminas, The Ecumenical Patriarchate (Borgo Press, 2009) p. 43.

[2] Paschalis Kitromilides, Religion and Politics in the Orthodox World - The Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Challenges of Modernity (Taylor & Francis, 2018), p. 67.

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v t e Bishops of Byzantium and Patriarchs of Constantinople
Bishops of Byzantium (Roman period, 38–330 AD)	Andrew Stachys Onesimus Polycarpus I Plutarch Sedecion Diogenes Eleutherius Felix Polycarpus II Athenodorus Euzois Laurence Alypius Pertinax Olympianus Marcus I Philadelphus Cyriacus I Castinus Eugenius I Titus Dometius Rufinus Probus Metrophanes Alexander
Archbishops of Constantinople (Roman period, 330–451 AD)	Alexander Paul I Eusebius Macedonius I Eudoxius Evagrius Demophilus Maximus I Gregory I Nectarius John I Chrysostom Arsacius Atticus Sisinnius I Nestorius Maximianus Proclus Flavian Anatolius
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Byzantine period, 451–1453 AD)	Anatolius Gennadius I Acacius Fravitta Euphemius Macedonius II Timothy I John II Epiphanius Anthimus I Menas Eutychius John III John IV Cyriacus II Thomas I Sergius I Pyrrhus Paul II Peter Thomas II John V Constantine I Theodore I George I Paul III Callinicus I Cyrus John VI Germanus I Anastasius Constantine II Nicetas I Paul IV Tarasius Nicephorus I Theodotus I Antony I John VII Methodius I Ignatios Photios I Stephen I Antony II Nicholas I Εuthymius I Stephen II Tryphon Theophylact Polyeuctus Βasil I Αntony III Nicholas II Sisinnius II Sergius II Eustathius Alexius Michael I Constantine III John VIII Cosmas I Eustratius Nicholas III John IX Leo Michael II Cosmas II Nicholas IV Theodotus II Neophytus I Constantine IV Luke Michael III Chariton Theodosius I Basil II Nicetas II Leontius Dositheus George II John X Michael IV^† Theodore II^† Maximus II^† Μanuel I^† Germanus II^† Methodius II^† Manuel II^† Arsenius^† Nicephorus II^† Germanus III Joseph I John XI Gregory II Athanasius I John XII Nephon I John XIII Gerasimus I Isaias John XIV Isidore I Callistus I Philotheus Macarius Nilus Antony IV Callistus II Matthew I Euthymius II Joseph II Metrophanes II Gregory III Athanasius II
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Ottoman period, 1453–1923 AD)	Gennadius II Isidore II Joasaph I Sophronius I Mark II Symeon I Dionysius I Raphael I Maximus III Nephon II Maximus IV Joachim I Pachomius I Theoleptus I Jeremias I Joannicius I Dionysius II Joasaph II Metrophanes III Jeremias II Pachomius II Theoleptus II Matthew II Gabriel I Theophanes I Meletius I Neophytus II Raphael II Cyril I Timothy II Gregory IV Anthimus II Cyril II Athanasius III Neophytus III Parthenius I Parthenius II Joannicius II Cyril III Paisius I Parthenius III Gabriel II Parthenius IV Dionysius III Clement Methodius III Dionysius IV Gerasimus II Athanasius IV James Callinicus II Neophytus IV Gabriel III Neophytus V Cyprianus Athanasius V Cyril IV Cosmas III Jeremias III (Callinicus III) Paisius II Seraphim I Neophytus VI Cyril V Callinicus IV (III) Seraphim II Joannicius III Samuel Meletius II Theodosius II Sophronius II Gabriel IV Procopius Neophytus VII Gerasimus III Gregory V Callinicus V (IV) Jeremias IV Cyril VI Eugenius II Anthimus III Chrysanthus Agathangelus Constantius I Constantius II Gregory VI Anthimus IV Anthimus V Germanus IV Meletius III Anthimus VI Cyril VII Joachim II Sophronius III Joachim III Joachim IV Dionysius V Neophytus VIII Anthimus VII Constantine V Germanus V Meletius IV
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Turkish period, since 1923 AD)	Gregory VII Constantine VI Basil III Photius II Benjamin Maximus V Athenagoras Demetrius Bartholomew
^† in exile at Nicaea Christianity portal