His Beatitude, Sophronius III was Patriarch of Constantinople from 1863 to 1866. He also served as Sophronius IV Patriarch of Alexandria from 1870 to 1899.
Little is known of the early life of Patr. Sophronius. In 1866, he became involved in a dispute that the Archbishop of Sinai, Cyril Byzantius, had with his monks. To obtain help in settling the dispute Abp. Cyril approached, by letter, the Patriarch of Constantinople instead of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who had traditionally enthroned the ruling bishop of Sinai. Patr. Sophronius supported Abp. Cyril against the monks, but the Patriarch of Jerusalem objected to this interference by Constantinople in the affairs at Mount Sinai, noting his, the Patriarch of Constantinople's, "anti-canonical interference and his foreign and unknown authority", [1] and summoned a synod. The synod supported the Patriarch of Jerusalem and deposed Abp. Cyril, and also Patr. Sophronius resigned from the see in Constantinople.
In 1870, Sophronius was elected to the see of the Patriarch of Alexandria as a compromise candidate in a disputed election. He served in Alexandria as Sophronius IV until his death in 1899.
Reference
| Sophronius IV of Alexandria | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Joachim II |
Patriarch of Constantinople 1863-1866 |
Succeeded by: Gregory VI |
| Preceded by: Nicanor |
Patriarch of Alexandria 1870-1899 |
Succeeded by: Photius |