The Greek Orthodox Church has announced that His Eminence Metropolitan Paul of Sisanion and Siatista reposed in the Lord yesterday, January 13.
Preliminary information indicates that His Eminence died of a heart attack.
Met. Paul was born in 1947 in Chalkida. He studied at the Theological School of the University of Athens and was ordained as a deacon in 1973 and as a priest in 1974, serving as chancellor and archimandrite in the Holy Metropolis of Chalkida. He served in a parish in Matoutou for 25 years.
From 1998, Fr. Paul participated in a number of educational and social organizations, serving as Secretary for the Synodal Committee of Youth Education and the Special Session Committee on Marriage, Family, Child Protection and Demographic Problems. He also served as the Chairman of the Tasos Georgiades charitable foundation.
He also worked as a catechist and producer for the Church’s radio station.
Fr. Paul was elected to the episcopate on February 28, 2006 and consecrated as the Metropolitan of Sisanion and Siatista on March 4, 2006. He was particularly concerned with cultivating priestly and monastic vocations.
During his 14 years of pastoral work in the Metropolis of Sisanion and Siatista, many holy churches were built and renovated and new clergy were ordained.
Met. Paul spoke out on many issues, including the normalization of homosexuality in Greece and abortion.