Benjamin (née Psomas or Kyriakou, 1871 - February 17, 1946) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from January 18, 1936 to February 17, 1946.
Biographical data
He was born parents of lesbian origin in the village of Zeytinli (Eleonas) in the province of Adramyttium in Asia Minor in 1871. He was taught his first letters in his homeland and in Kydonia. He was ordained a deacon in 1888. He studied at the Theological School in Halki, graduating in 1896. He was then appointed preacher and director of schools in Magnesia in Asia Minor. In 1899 he was appointed professor of religion at St. Joachim's Seminary in Constantinople, where he taught for six years. In 1908 he was ordained an elder by Ecumenical Patriarch Joachim III and was appointed Grand Protosynagogue.
In 1912, he was elected Metropolitan of Rhodes. The provincials and residents of Rhodes misunderstood the relationship he had developed with the Italian administration of the island and denounced him to the patriarchate as a traitor. They even persuaded the Greek consul, as a result of which the Greek government also asked for his removal. These accusations were not accepted by the patriarchate, moreover, they later proved to be completely false, but due to the prevailing climate, the patriarchate transferred him to the metropolis of Silivria on June 10, 1913. He was elected Metropolitan of Philippopolis on September 10, 1913, Metropolitan of Nicosia in 1925, and Metropolitan of Heraklia in 1933.
In 1936, after the death of Patriarch Photios II, the then Metropolitan of Chalcedon (and later Patriarch) Maximos was considered his most likely successor. However, the prefect of Constantinople, Muhittin Uludağ, exercised his right to remove candidates from the list of electors after many years. In doing so, he removed Chalcedon Maximus and Dercon Joachim from the list of twelve candidates. It is believed that this was because the then-Turkish Interior Minister and MP for the province of Çanakkale, where Imbros is located, was associated with Metropolitan Iakovos of Imbros and Tenedos. Therefore, it is believed that it was on his instructions that the two leading candidates were eliminated in order to promote Metropolitan Iakovos of Imbros as Ecumenical Patriarch.
However, the hierarchy elected Metropolitan Benjamin of Heraklion by a ratio of seven votes to six. There were incidents and riots that overshadowed the election and enthronement, and the new Patriarch Benjamin, then 75 years old, faced disapproval from the congregation at his enthronement. Finally, while the election of the ecumenical patriarch had previously been announced only to the prefect of Istanbul, Benjamin's election was the first to be announced to the president of the Republic of Turkey, the prime minister and the interior minister, from whom congratulatory telegrams were received. This practice has been followed ever since. Benjamin was also the first patriarch to receive official permission to be raced by the Turkish state.
Despite the unfavorable circumstances of the election, and despite the death of Kemal Atatürk and the outbreak of World War II, which had a location during his patriarchate, it can be described as successful and stabilizing for the Ecumenical Patriarchate during a difficult period in its history. Under Benjamin Church Albania was recognized as autocephalous with the issuance of the corresponding patriarchal and synodal volume (April 3, 1937), the Carpatho-Russian Unites of America returned to Orthodoxy, and finally the Bulgarian schism of 1872 was ended (February 19, 1945) with the recognition of the autocephaly of the Church of Bulgaria. Finally, in 1939, the holy myrrh was prepared.
The black spot of the Patriarchate of Benjamin was the great fire of September 21, 1941, which was caused by a short-circuit and destroyed much of the Patriarchal House in Fanari, along with incalculable antique furniture, vessels, artwork, relics, icons and manuscripts of incalculable value. The damage done was not fully restored until 1989.
In 1937, Patriarch Benjamin received honorary doctorates from the universities of Athens and Thessaloniki. He died on February 17, 1946 after a long illness and was buried at Zoodochos Pigi Valouklis.