HIS EMINENCE
METROPOLITAN AMBROSIOS OF KOREA

BIOGRAPHY :

His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrosios of Korea (in the world Aristotle Zographos) was born on March 15th 1960 on the island of Aegina in Greece where he graduated from High School in 1978. In 1983 he received his degree from the School of Theology of the University of Athens. In 1985 he was ordained deacon and in 1991 priest.

As a deacon and priest he served at the Holy Metropolis of Nicea - Piraeus as Personal Secretary at the late Metropolitan’s Office of Nicea Georgios Pavlides and as Youth Director. He also served at the Holy Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta. From 1988 to 1989 he worked at the renowned Library and Icon Gallery of St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai in Egypt. From 1991 to 1993, through a Scholarship by the Holy Archdiocese of America, he studied at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston, USA where he received his Th.M in Patrology. From 1993 to 1996, under a scholarship from Princeton University, he did postgraduate studies at Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS) as well as at Princeton University where he received his second Master’s Degree in Church History and Art History. During this time he also began work on his dissertation for his Doctorate Degree. During the years of his studies in the USA (1991-1996), he served in various Greek Orthodox parishes in New England and New Jersey as visiting Pastor at the Greek Orthodox Communities of St. Barbara, in Tom’s River, New Jersey and Holy Trinity Church in Bargaintown, New Jersey. On December 21st 1998 he was awarded a Doctorate Degree with distinction by the School of Theology of the University of Athens.

In December 1998 he departed to Korea to begin serving the Orthodox Church in Korea as Dean of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Seoul and as Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of Korea.

On December 21st 2006 he was elevated to the Episcopacy as Bishop of Zila by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In addition to many articles in various magazines, he has also published the following major studies and books: a) “The Social Teachings of St. Gregory Palamas, Based on His 63 Homilies,” b) “The Contribution of St. Basil the Great to the Formation of the Monastic Ideal,” c) “Iconography in the Liturgical life of the Medieval Greek Church,” and d) Gabriel Archbishop of Thessalonica and the Homiliarion attributed to him. Bishop Ambrose of Zela has participated in the Conference of the World Council of Churches on World Mission and Evangelism in Sao Paolo, Brazil (1997) as a member of the Patriarchal Delegation and in Athens (2005). In 1998 he participated in the Convention of Orthodox Theological Schools organized by “Syndesmos” in Belgrade, Serbia. Apart from his diakonia at the Holy Metropolis of Korea, he is also full Professor at the newly established Department of Greek Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

On May 28th 2008 he has been elected by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as Metropolitan of Korea.

Address:

424-1 Ahyon  dong, Mapo-gu

C.P.O. Box 1473

Seoul
Korea
Tel. +82 (2) 362-6371
Fax +82 (2) 365-2698
E-mail: orthodox@orthodox.or.kr
Website: www.orthodox.or.kr

Nameday: December 7

Date of ordination: February 5, 2006