Constantine | |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan of Baghdad, Kuwait and Dependencies | |
| Archdiocese | Antioch |
| See | Baghdad |
| Elected | 1969 |
| Term ended | 2014 |
| Predecessor | Photius Al-Khoury |
| Successor | Ghattas Hazim |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1951 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ghattas Hazim 1924 |
| Died | April 17, 2016(2016-04-17) (aged 91–92) |
| Denomination | Greek Orthodox |
| Alma mater | University of Athens St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology |
Constantine Papastephanou (Greek:Κωνσταντίνος Παπαστεφάνου; born 1924,Damascus,State of Damascus – 17 April 2016,Athens,Greece) was anEastern Orthodox hierarch and long serving (1969–2014)Metropolitan ofBaghdad andKuwait, under the jurisdiction of theEastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East.[1]
Constantine was born in 1924 inDamascus, the capital of Syria. Entering ecclesiastical service, he studied inGreece and received a Bachelor of Theology degree from the University of Athens. He was ordained priest in 1951 by PatriarchAlexander III of Antioch. At first, he served as a priest in Damascus and its vicinity for eighteen years. During the latter part of the 1950s he was the director of theBalamand Clerical School. In 1964, he was appointed by PatriarchTheodosius VI of Antioch to lead St. Georges Monastery. In 1967, he was given additional duties as general vicar for the Archdiocese ofHama. On October 7, 1969, Constantine was elected Metropolitan Bishop ofBaghdad andKuwait by the Holy Synod of theEastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. On October 17, he was consecrated at the Monastery of St. Elias in Dhor Al Shwair in Lebanon. After installation, he set out to visit and organize his archdiocese. On October 23, 1969, Metropolitan Constantine arrived in Baghdad to conduct his first liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Andrew the Apostle. On November 20, he visited the Kuwait parish, celebrating the liturgy on the next day in temporary facilities in the National Evangelical Church. During the following years he established a number of Eastern Orthodox parishes within thePersian Gulf area, first in 1980 inDubai andAbu Dhabi. In 1984, he was elected to the Synodal Commission charged with administering the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology and in 1986 he became the administrator of the Institute itself. In 1998, he established an Eastern Orthodox parish inOman, followed in 2000 with one inBahrain. In 2010, Metropolitan Constantine was hospitalized inLondon. Because of bad health and advanced age, he decided to retire on 17 June 2014, and was succeeded by the new MetropolitanGhattas Hazim. Metropolitan Constantine died on 17 April 2016.[2]
| Eastern Orthodox Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Metropolitan of Baghdad 1969–2014 | Succeeded by |