Former Patriarch Eirinaios of Jerusalem fell asleep in the Lord a few hours ago. The blessed Hierarch has been facing serious health problems lately.
After the intervention of Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, he was recently hosted at the Center for Gerontology and Welfare Support of the Archdiocese of “Saint Porphyrios” in Dilesi, Voiotia.
Eirinaios I (born on April 17, 1939) was the Patriarch of Jerusalem from August 13, 2001, to May 24, 2005, when he was deposed by a Synod of Primates of the Orthodox Church that restored him to the ranks of the monks. He was restored to the episcopal rank with the title of former Patriarch of Jerusalem on July 25, 2019.
He was born on April 17, 1939, in Samos. In 1953 he went to Jerusalem. In 1959 he was ordained, Deacon and Presbyter. He graduated from the Theological School of Athens in 1966 and in the same year, he was given the title of Archimandrite.
On March 29, 1981, he was ordained Archbishop of Hierapolis. He was Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Athens from 1979 to 2001. In 1994 he was promoted to Metropolitan.
After the death of Patriarch Diodorus, an eight-month gap followed by an intense diplomatic backdrop, with the Israeli government rejecting five of the candidates, some of whom were the most likely. On August 13, 2001, Eirinaios was finally elected Patriarch of Jerusalem, with 7 votes out of 17.
At the invitation of Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece and interventions of the Greek government, the former Patriarch Eirinaios of Jerusalem traveled on August 29, 2019, to Greece and was hospitalized.
He was then admitted to the Center of Gerontology and Welfare Support of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens “Saint Porphyrios” in Dilesi, Voiotia, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Athens himself, where he was hosted until his death.
