Polykarpos (Stavropoulos) of Italy

Metropolitan Polykarpos (Stavropoulos) is the primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy, a diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate covering Italy and San Marino.

Life

Polykarpos (Stavropoulos) was born Panagiotis Stavropoulos in Nafpaktos, Greece on October 15 1963 where he received his primary and secondary education. In 1986 he graduated with honours at the Theological Faculty of Athens University, then went on to do his military service as a Theologian NCO for two years (1986-1988) and later, thanks to an ecclesiastical grant, did a two-year postgraduate course at the Church History Department of the Pontifical Oriental Institute of the Gregorian University of Rome.

On January 15 1990 he was ordained a Deacon in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Constantinople by his mentor, the Metropolitan of Chalcedon (and now Ecumenical Patriarch) Bartholomew. He was ordained a Priest the following day by the Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and Agios Vlasios (now Metropolitan of Mantinia and Kynouria) Alexander, and then elevated to the rank of Archimandrite on that same day by the same Hierarch who ordained him a Deacon.

On January 14, 2021 he was elected Metropolitan of Italy.