Benedict (Tsekouras) of Philadelphia
Metropolitan Benedict (Tsekouras) of Philadelphia is the bishop of the see of Philadelphia in Palestine under the jurisdiction of the Church of Jerusalem.
Life
George Tsekouras was born in the municipality of Kalavryta in the prefecture of Achaea, Greece in 1957. After George completed his education in the town of Aigio in Achaea, he was tonsured a monk in 1976 with the name Benedict at the Monastery of the Holy Lavra in Kalavryta.
In 1982, Mk. Benedict moved to Jerusalem and was inducted into the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre. In 1983, Benedict was ordained a deacon, followed by his ordination as a priest in 1986. Subsequently, he was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite and appointed abbot of the Monastery of St. Catherine. He was also appointed treasurer of the patriarchate. Among his duties he also supervised the building in Jericho of the Institute of St. Diodoros.
In April 1990, Fr. Benedict was elected a member of the Holy Synod of the Church of Jerusalem. In February 1998, he was elected and consecrated Archbishop of Gaza, and in 2000 he was also appointed Patriarchal representative of the Church of Jerusalem to the Kingdom of Jordan in Amman.
In 2001, he was installed as Metropolitan of Philadelphia. As metropolitan, Metr. Benedict conducted an active construction program. Among the projects that he supervised were:
- Construction of the Church of St. John the Forerunner in Jordan and the Church of Ss. Constantine and Helen in Marg el Hamam.
- Construction of the Polyclinic and kindergarten Amman, Jordan and the Museum at the Holy Metropolis.
- Restoration of the old Church of St. George in Salt, Jordan.
- In 2005, construction of the Church of St. Barbara in Abusner and the Chapel of St. Nectarios in the Holy Metropolis.
| Benedict (Tsekouras) of Philadelphia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: ? |
Archbishop of Gaza 1998-2001 |
Succeeded by: ? |
| Preceded by: ? |
Metropolitan of Philadelphia 2001-Present |
Succeeded by: — |
