Public lifeאירינאוס הראשון

Patriarch Irineos

Irenaios was the 140th Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, deposed in 2005 after church property in the Old City was sold to Ateret Cohanim.

1939 to 2023Greek Orthodox Patriarch of JerusalemOld City property sales to Ateret CohanimHis 2005 deposition

Born: 17 April 1939, Chora, Samos
Died: 10 January 2023, Athens
Occupation: high priest, Christian minister, patriarch

Patriarch Irineos was born in 1939 in Chora, Samos

He was born Emmanouil Skopelitis on 17 April 1939 on the Greek island of Samos. He moved to Jerusalem in 1953. For many years he served as Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Athens.

After Patriarch Diodoros died, he became temporary head of the church and was elected patriarch on 13 August 2000 at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. He was enthroned on 15 September 2000. The government of Israel recognized his appointment only in January 2004.

In 2005 he was accused of involvement in selling 3 church properties in the Old City to Ateret Cohanim, while he blamed the finance director Nikolas Papadimos. The Holy Synod of Jerusalem deposed him on 6 May 2005, and a synod in Istanbul confirmed this on 24 May 2005. He refused to accept the decision, and Israel recognized him as patriarch until December 2007.

He then lived in an apartment in the Patriarchate building, receiving food by a basket on a rope. He said he was held there, while the church said he stayed by choice. In August 2019 he flew to Athens, where he died on 10 January 2023, and he was buried on Samos.