Alexy II
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
Russian Orthodox Church
Born in 1929 in Estonia, Alexy II studied theology and rose through the ranks to become a bishop and the Metropolitan of Estonia and Tallinn. In 1964 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop and was invited to become a permanent member of the Moscow Holy Synod. He has worked in various capacities in the church and in theological studies and, after a few years, as the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Novgorod, Alexy II was ultimately elected to the Patriarchal See of Moscow by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990, where he has served ever since.
Photos from In God's Name
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Spiritual Leaders
- Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Orthodox Church
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- Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and President of the Lutheran World Federation
- High Priest Michihisa Kitashirakawa, Daiguji (Shinto Priest) of the Grand Shrine of Ise
- Rabbi Yona Metzger, Chief Rabbi of Israel, Ashkenazi
- Dr. Frank Page, President of the Southern Baptist Convention
- Imam Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, Sheikh of Al-Azhar and a prominent Sunni Muslim leader
- Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar of the Akal Takht, the Sikhs' highest authority
- Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England
