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During his 18-year tenure, he actively worked with his communities to facilitate these reforms, in part by expanding the work of the clergy-laity congresses. He established the women’s [[Philoptochos]], the philanthropic arm of the Church, as well as an orphanage, [[St. Basil’s Academy]]. He also founded the first Greek Orthodox seminary in America, the [[Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Brookline, Massachusetts)|Holy Cross School of Theology]]. His capable leadership allowed him to withstand the early opposition he faced and eventually gain the love and devotion of his flock.
==Patriarchate==
On [[November 1]], 1948, Athenagoras was elected Patriarch of [[Constantinople]], and was flown to Istanbul in the personal airplane of US President Harry Truman. As patriarch, he was actively involved with the [[World Council of Churches]] and improving relations with the [[Pope]]. His long reign ended with his died in Istanbul on July 7, 1972.
His 1964 meeting with [[Pope Paul VI]] in [[Jerusalem]] led to the mutual lifting of the Bulls of [[Excommunication]] that resulted in the [[Great Schism]] of 1054. This was a significant step towards restoring communion between Rome and Constantinople. It produced the [[Catholic-Orthodox Joint Declaration of 1965]], which was publicly read on [[December 7]], 1965, simultaneously at a public meeting of the [[Second Vatican Council]] in Rome and at a special ceremony in Istanbul. The declaration did not end the schism, but showed a desire for greater reconciliation between the two churches. Nevertheless, not all Orthodox shared this sentiment, resulting in one hierarch, including [[Philaret (Voznesensky) of New York|Metropolitan Philaret]], writing who wrote a response to the patriarch that same year.
