Gabriel
Metropolitan of Nea Ionia and Philadelphia
His Eminence Gabriel, Metropolitan of Nea Ionia and Philadelphia was born in Athens in 1976 and was tonsured a monk in 1995. He graduated from the Faculty of Theology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in 1999 and received the Certificat de Spécialisation en Théologie Orthodoxe from the University of Fribourg and the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2001.
He holds a Doctoral Degree in International Law from the World Trade Center in Geneva (2002), an Honorary Doctorate from Hellenic American University (2018), and a Doctorate in Theology from the University of Athens (2024).
He was ordained Deacon in 1996, and Presbyter in 2002. From 2002 to 2011 he served in the Archdiocese of Athens, and in 2009 he was appointed Vicar, overseeing extensive pastoral, administrative, and social initiatives. During this period, he developed the Archdiocese’s first integrated digital infrastructure and contributed to the establishment of its Social Works Program, which later evolved into the humanitarian organization “Mission” (Apostoli).
His Eminence has served on the Synodical Committee on Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations and has represented the Church of Greece on numerous occasions in international and ecclesiastical fora. He has also taught as an Adjunct Professor at Athens College and served in various secretarial positions within the Church of Greece.
In 2012 he was elected Bishop of Diavleia and appointed Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, and in 2014 he was elected and enthroned Metropolitan of Nea Ionia and Philadelphia.
Under his leadership, the Diocese of Nea Ionia has expanded its social, educational, and charitable programs significantly. He is currently a member of the Inter-Orthodox Affairs Board of the Church of Greece and of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches.