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→Patriarchate
On [[November 1]], 1948, Athenagoras was elected Patriarch of [[Constantinople]], and was flown to Istanbul in the personal airplane of then-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 [[PopePaul VI]] Paul VI in 1964 in [[Jerusalem ]] led to rescinding the 1054 mutual lifting of the Bulls of [[excommunicationExcommunication]]s of 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 Declaration of 1965]], which was publicly read out 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 1054 schism, but showed a desire for greater reconciliation between the two churches, represented by Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I. Nevertheless, not all Orthodox leaders at the time were happy with shared this Catholic-Orthodox Joint declarationsentiment, e.g.resulting in one hierarch, Metr. [[Philaret (Voznesensky) of New York|Metropolitan Philaret]]'s 1965 epistle , writing a response to the patriarchthat same year.
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{{succession|
before=?|
title=Archbishop of North and South America<br>Church of Constantinople|
years=1931-1948|
after=Michael}}
