RIDIGER, ALEXIS II

RIDIGER, ALEXIS II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (23 February 1929– ). From a priestly family, he began his career as choirmaster of St. Simeon Church in Tallin and later at Kazan Church. He was the senior subdeacon to Archbishop Paul of Tallin and Bishop Isidore. After graduating from the Leningrad Theological Seminary in 1949, he did graduate studies at Leningrad Theological Academy and was ordained deacon on 15 April 1950 and priest on 17 April for the Holy Theophany Church, Iyxvi, Estonia. He received the Candidate of Theology degree from the Academy in 1953, with the thesis “Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) as Dogmatist,” and was appointed pastor of Dormition Cathedral in Tartu, Estonia, and dean of Tartu Deanery on 15 July 1957. Made archpriest and dean of Tartu-Vilyana Deanery in 1959, he became a monastic on 3 March 1961, after which he was elected Bishop of Tallin and Estonia. Promoted to archbishop (1964) and to metropolitan (1968), he became Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod on 29 July 1968. He was enthroned as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia on 10 June 1990. Long active in the ecumenical movement, Alexis is among the first group of Russian Orthodox to participate in the World Council of Churches Central Committee (1961–68), and was president of the Conference of European Churches (1964–86). His ministry is characterized by good relations with Orthodox outside Russia and active involvement in the social and political crises that confront the people of his country.