{{cleanup|organization needed}}Archbishop '''Spyridon (Papageorge) of Chaldea''' was Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America from September 1996 to August 1999. He did not accept his subsequent appointment in 1999 as [[Metropolitan]] of Chaldea and retired.

In 1992 he was appointed chairman of the inter-Orthodox Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Lutheran World Federation. He has represented the Ecumenical Patriarchate in various inter-Church missions and international meetings. He was Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's delegate to the Special Synod of the Roman Catholic Bishops in Europe (Rome, 1991). His address at this Synod is considered of vast importance as it clearly identified the unfavorable developments which -—due to the revival of Uniatism in Eastern Europe- —were to follow in the theological dialogue between Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

His twenty-year ministry in Italy, his participation in various interchurch dialogues, his frequent presence on the international church scene (he is fluent in Greek, English, French, Italian and German) and his American background all led to his election to the archiepiscopal throne of America on[[ July 30]], 1996.

Spyridon’s Spyridon's activities in America were extremely varied as he focused his strategic policy on the pressing issue of the survival of Orthodoxy and Hellenism within the Greek American community. He took bold initiatives in dealing with vital matters affecting the [[GOARCH|Greek Orthodox Church of America]]: Greek education, Orthodox theological training, the Greek American lobby and the administration of the Archdiocese.

Due to internal church conflicts Spyridon resigned from the archiepiscopal throne of America on [[August 19]], 1999 , and never accepted his subsequent appointment as Metropolitan of Chaldea by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On [[September 15]], 1999, he left New York and moved to his current home in Lisbon, Portugal, where he occasionally grants interviews and writes articles for the Greek press in America.

In 2002, Exandas Publishers published Spyridon’s Spyridon's authorized biography, ''The Lonely Path of Integrity'', written by Justine Frangouli-Argyris, a specialist in issues related to the Greek American and Greek Canadian communities.

In 2005 Ellinika Grammata published ''Spyridon, Archbishop of America (1996-1999) – - The Legacy (Η ΠαΠαρακαταθήκη)'', a bilingual edition that includes selected speeches and writings by the former Primate, with editing, introduction and commentary by Justine Frangouli-Argyris.  {{start box}}{{succession|before=?|title=Bishop of Apamea|years=1985-1991<!-- end date is a guess: in 1957 James, 1969-? - Iakovos Garmatis (Chicago), 1998-present Vikentios -->|after=?}}{{succession|before=&mdash;|title=Archbishop of Italy and<br>Exarchate of Southern Europe|years=1991-1996|after=?}}{{succession|before=[[Iakovos (Coucouzis) of America|Iakovos (Coucouzis)]]|title=Archbishop of America|years=1996-1999|after=[[Demetrios (Trakatellis) of America|Demetrios (Trakatellis)]]}}{{end box}} ==Source==*[http://www.spyridon.org/biograph.html Biographical Profile of Archbishop Spyridon, former primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America] ==External link==*[http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/resources/hierarchs/constantinople/former.htm#spyridon_metr_chaldia Listing] at the Orthodox Research Institute