Mark (Arndt) of Berlin

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His Eminence the Most Reverend Mark (Arndt) is the Archbishop of Berlin and All Germany of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and Overseer of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

Life

Archbishop Mark was born Michael Arndt on January 29, 1941 in Chemnitz, Germany.

In 1964, while he was studying English and Slavistics at the University of Heidelberg, he converted to Orthodox Christianity. In the course of his study of Slavistics, he became a specialist in a number of Slavic languages and literature, including Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovak, Czech and Macedonian. He completed his PhD. with the doctoral thesis "Biographical Literature of the Tver Duchy in the 14th and 15th Centuries".

He began his theological studies in 1973 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia finishing his degree in theology in 1979. In 1975, Michael chose a monastic life and was tonsured a monk with the name Mark by Abp. Paul (Pavlov) of Sydney. He was ordained a [[deacon] in the summer of 1975, and a hieromonk three days later by Abp. Paul. Hieromonk Mark was appointed as Deputy Rector of the Russian church in Wiesbaden, Germany. In 1976, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

In 1980, he was consecrated bishop, and was installed as the (ROCOR) Bishop of Stuttgart and Southern Germany. In 1982, he was assigned as Bishop of Berlin and All Germany, succeeding Abp. Paul (Pavlov). In the mid-1980's, he was appointed Ruling Bishop of the Diocese of Great Britain and Rector of St Alexander Nevsky Parish in Copenhagen. In 1990, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. In 1997, he was also appointed Overseer of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

Abp. Mark has been one of the most ardent supporters of Church unity between ROCOR and the Moscow Patriarchate, and worked tirelessly to see this goal achieved. From 1993 to 1997, he headed the dialog between the German based dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate in the re-united Germany. Since 2000, he has been the President of the Committee on the Unity of the Russian Church, and since 2003, the President of the Commission on talks with the Moscow Patriarchate. This was a large part of the impetus which brought about the reunification of the ROCOR and Moscow Patriarchal churches, which finally took place in 2006.

Succession box:
Mark (Arndt) of Berlin
Preceded by:
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Bishop of Stuttgart (ROCOR)
1980-1982
Succeeded by:
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Preceded by:
Paul (Pavlov)
Bishop of Berlin and All Germany(ROCOR)
1982-Present
Succeeded by:
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