Statue of Archbishop Damaskinos near the Athens Cathedral.

Archbishop Damaskinos Papandreou (March 3, 1891-May 20, 1949) was the archbishop of Athens from 1941 until his death. He was also the regent of Greece between the pull-out of the German occupation force in 1944 and the return of King Georgios II to Greece in 1946. His rule marked the reconstruction of Greece after German occupation during World War II and the unrest spanning the beginning of the shooting phase of the Greek Civil War. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1168x1760, 547 KB) Summary Statue of Archbishop Damaskinos near the Athens Cathedral. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1168x1760, 547 KB) Summary Statue of Archbishop Damaskinos near the Athens Cathedral. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 20 May is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... // High public office A regent, from the Latin regens who reigns is anyone who acts as head of state, especially if not the monarch (who has higher titles). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... George II (20 July 1890 - 1 April 1947), King of the Hellenes (Greece) ruled from 1922-1924 and 1935-1947. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest... // Introduction An ELAS soldier The Greek Civil War was fought between 1946 and 1949, and was the first example of a post-war Communist insurgency. ...

Early Life

He was born Dimitrios Papandreou in Dorvitsa, Greece (no relationship to politician Georgios Papandreou). He enlisted in the Greek army during the Balkan Wars. He was ordained a priest of the Greek Orthodox Church in 1917. In 1922, he was made bishop of Corinth. He spend the early 1930s as an ambassador of the Ecumenical Patriarch in the United States, where he labored to help organize the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. George Papandreou (in Greek Georgios Papandreou or Γεώργιος Παπανδρέου) (18 February 1888 - 1 November 1968) was a Greek politician. ... The outcome as of April 1913 Boundaries on the Balkans after the First and the Second Balkan War (1912-1913) Distribution of races in the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor in 1923, Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, New York (The map does not reflect the results of the 1923... Greek Orthodox Church can refer to: the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the first among equals of the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Temple of Apollo at Corinth Corinth, or Korinth (Κόρινθος; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a Greek city, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. ... // Events and trends A public speech by Benito Mussolini, founder of the Fascist movement The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... The Archdiocese of America is a jurisdiction of the Eastern Orthodox Church under the Patriarch of Constantinople. ...

In 1938 he was elected archbishop of Athens, taking the name Damaskinos. Ioannis Metaxas, dictator of Greece at the time, objected to Damaskinos and forced the cancellation of his election, and the appointment of Metropolitan Chrisanthos to the post. After the 1941 German invasion of Greece and the fall of the Greek government, the Metropolitans who had elected Damaskinos seized the opportunity to eject Chrisanthos from the throne (with German agreement, as the later had refused to be present at the oath-taking ceremony of the Quisling Prime Minister Georgios Tsolakoglu), and Damaskinos was reinstalled. 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína; IPA ) is the capital of Greece, and of the Attica prefecture of Greece. ... Ioannis Metaxas Ioannis Metaxas (Greek Ιωάννης Μεταξάς, April 12, 1871 - January 29, 1941) was a Greek General and the Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death. ... In modern usage, Dictator refers to an absolutist or autocratic ruler who governs outside the rule of law. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Look up Quisling in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Quisling is the surname of Vidkun Quisling the leader of the Norwegian fascist party Nasjonal Samling (NS) and a staunch ally of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was executed by firing squad for his crimes. ...

Nazi Occupation

The Archbishop of Athens was the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox people of Athens, and Damaskinos worked very hard to live up to his position during those hard times. He frequently clashed with the German authorities and the Quisling government. In 1943, the Germans began the persecution of the Jews of Greece, and their deportations to Nazi concentration camps. Damaskinos formally protested the actions of the occupational authorities, even at the threat of execution by the local Schutzstaffel commander. The churches under his jurisdiction were also ordered quietly by Damaskinos to distribute baptismal certificates to Jews fleeing the Nazis, saving thousands of Romaniote Jews in and around Athens. Greek Orthodox Church can refer to any of several hierarchical churches within the larger group of mutually recognizing Eastern Orthodox churches: the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the first among equals of the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... Look up Quisling in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Quisling is the surname of Vidkun Quisling the leader of the Norwegian fascist party Nasjonal Samling (NS) and a staunch ally of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was executed by firing squad for his crimes. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... Prior to and during World War II Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps (Konzentrationslager or KZ) throughout the territory it controlled. ... The infamous double-sig rune SS insignia. ... Categories: Judaism-related stubs | Ethnic groups | Jews ...

Once, in public, he was threatened by the German commander of Athens with execution by firing squad. His famous response was "Greek religious leaders are not shot, they are hanged. I request that you respect this custom".

After the Liberation

After the occupation ended, Damaskinos was proclaimed regent of Greece until the return of the king from exile. During this time, fighting broke out between pro-royalist Greek soldiers and communist partisans. He took control of the situation in his early term, appointing himself Prime Minister during late 1945. Though he wielded little power in his latter term, Damaskinos continued to call for peace and order in the country. He relinquished his position after fighting began to die down and recalled the king formally on September 28, 1946. He died in Athens in 1949. 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (272nd in leap years). ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...