Ambrose (Zographos) of Korea

Metropolitan Ambrosios

His Eminence the Most Reverend Metropolitan Ambrosios (Zographos) of Korea is the second Metropolitan of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Orthodox Metropolis of Korea.

Life

The future Metropolitan Ambrosios was born Aristotle Zographos on March 15, 1960 on the island of Aegina in Greece. His early education, through high school, was on Aegina. After graduating from high School in 1978, he attended the School of Theology of the University of Athens from which he received his degree in 1983. In 1985 he was ordained deacon and in 1991 presbyter.

Following his ordination to the Holy Orders he served the Metropolis of Nicea-Piraeus as the personal secretary of the late Metropolitan Georgios (Pavlides) of Nicea as well as Youth Director. He also served at the Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta.

From 1988 to 1989 he worked at the Library and Icon Gallery of St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai in Egypt.

From 1991 to 1993, he studied at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts under a scholarship from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. In 1993, he received a Master of Theology degree in Patrology from Holy Cross. Fr. Ambrosios continued his postgraduate studies from 1993 to 1996 at Princeton Theological Seminary as well as at Princeton University, in Princeton, New Jersey, from which he received his second master's degree in Church History and Art History. During this time he also began work on his dissertation for a doctorate degree.

During the years of his studies in the United States, Fr. Ambrosios served in various Greek Orthodox parishes in New England and New Jersey including as visiting pastor at the Greek Orthodox churches of St. Barbara in Tom's River, New Jersey, and Holy Trinity in Bargaintown, New Jersey.

On December 21, 1998, Fr. Ambrosios received a doctorate degree with distinction from the School of Theology of the University of Athens. On December 23, 1998 he traveled to South Korea to begin serving the Orthodox Church in Korea as Dean of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Seoul and as Chancellor of the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea.

On December 21, 2006, Fr. Ambrosios was consecrated Bishop of Zelon by the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople. On May 28, 2008, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate elected Bp. Ambrosios Metropolitan of Korea succeeding Metropolitan Sotirios (Trambas) of Pisidia whose resignation had been accepted by the Patriarchate on the same day. He was enthroned on July 20, 2008 at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Seoul, as the second metropolitan of Korea.

Metr. Ambrosios has written extensively, producing articles in various magazines and published a number of studies and books. These include: The Social Teachings of St. Gregory Palamas, Based on His 63 Homilies, The Contribution of St. Basil the Great to the Formation of the Monastic Ideal, Iconography in the Liturgical life of the Medieval Greek Church, and Gabriel Archbishop of Thessalonica and the Homiliarion attributed to him.

In 1997, Metr. Ambrosios participated in the conference of the World Council of Churches on World Mission and Evangelism in Sao Paolo, Brazil as a member of the Patriarchal delegation and again in 2005 in Athens. In 1998, he participated in the Convention of Orthodox Theological Schools organized by Syndesmos in Belgrade, Serbia.

In addition to his diakonia (service) at the Metropolis of Korea, Metr. Ambrosios is also full professor at the newly established Department of Greek Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea.

Succession box: Ambrose (Zographos) of Korea
Preceded by: Sotirios (Trambas)	Bishop of Zelon 2006-2008	Succeeded by: —
Preceded by: Sotirios (Trambas)	Metropolitan of Korea (Constantinople) 2008-present	Succeeded by: —

Help with box

Source

• Ec-patr: His Eminence, the Metropolitan of Korea Ambrose

External link

• Listing at the Orthodox Research Institute