Ieronymos II of Athens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids His Beatitude Ieronymos II |
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| Archbishop of Athens | |
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| Native name | Ιερώνυμος B΄ |
| Church | Church of Greece |
| See | Athens |
| Enthroned | 7 February 2008 |
| Predecessor | Christodoulos |
| Other posts | Metropolitan of Thebes and Levadeia (1981–2008) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 10 December 1967 |
| Consecration | 4 October 1981 |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Ioannis Liapis |
| Born | 10 March 1937 Oinofyta, Boeotia, Kingdom of Greece |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Denomination | Greek Orthodoxy |
| Profession | Theologian |
| Alma mater | University of Athens University of Graz University of Regensburg University of Munich |
| Signature |  |
Ieronymos II (born 10 March 1937) is a very important leader in the Eastern Orthodox Church in Greece. He is the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. This means he is the main leader of the Church of Greece. He was chosen for this role on 7 February 2008.
Before becoming Archbishop, Ieronymos held several important positions. He was a Protosyncellus (a senior church official) in the area of Thebes and Livadeia. He also led two monasteries, which are places where monks live and pray. Later, he became a Secretary for the main council of the Church of Greece, called the Holy Synod.
In 1981, he became a Metropolitan bishop for the areas of Thebes and Levadeia. He also wrote two important books about old Christian buildings and history in Greece.
On 7 February 2008, Ieronymos was chosen to be the new Archbishop. He officially started his new job on 16 February 2008.
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His Early Life and Education
Ieronymos was born in a place called Oinofyta in Boeotia, Greece. His family has roots from the Arvanite people.
He studied at the University of Athens, where he earned degrees in archaeology (the study of old things), Byzantine studies (the history of the Byzantine Empire), and theology (the study of religion). He also continued his studies at universities in Austria and Germany.
For a while, he taught about Christian archaeology. In 1967, he became a deacon and then a presbyter (a type of priest) in the Orthodox Church.
His Official Titles
| Styles of Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens |
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| Reference style | His Beatitude |
| Spoken style | Your Beatitude (Makariótate), Déspota |
| Religious style | Archbishop |
The full and official way to address the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece is:
His Beatitude Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.
In Greek, this is:
Η Αυτού Μακαριότης ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Αθηνών και Πάσης Ελλάδος Ιερώνμος Β'
His Work in the Church
Ieronymos has had a long and active career in the church. He served as a senior official in the Metropolis of Thebes and Livadeia. He was also the leader of the Transfiguration of Sagmata and Hosios Loukas monasteries. He worked as a Secretary, and later Archsecretary, for the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece.
In 1981, he was elected as the Metropolitan bishop of Thebes and Levadeia. Besides his church duties, he continued his work in Christian archaeology. He published two important books: "Medieval Monuments of Euboea" (in 1970) and "Christian Boeotia" (in 2006).
On 7 February 2008, Ieronymos was chosen as the new Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. He received 45 out of 74 votes from the Holy Synod. He officially started his duties on 16 February 2008.
His Views on Society
Ieronymos has spoken out on important social issues. In 2012, he criticized racism, antisemitism (hatred towards Jewish people), and Islamophobia (hatred towards Muslim people). He also spoke against the Golden Dawn political party. He said that "The church loves all people, including those who are black, white or non-Christians."
In 2016, he visited a refugee camp on the island of Lesbos. He went with Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. Their visit helped to bring attention to the refugee crisis happening at that time.
