The Orthodox Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia elects new primate

The council of the clergy and laity of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, at its council on May 2, 2006, elected a new primate, Archbishop Krystof of Prague and the Czech Lands.

Archbishop Krystof is the fifth head of this Church since the Moscow Patriarchate granted it autocephaly in 1951. The previous primate, His Beatitude Nikolaj, passed away in the Lord on January 30, 2006. The enthronement of Archbishop Krystof will take place on May 28, 2006.

Background:

Archbishop Krystof (secular name Radim Pulec) was born in 1953 in Prague. In 1974 he was ordained deacon and later priest. He is a graduate of the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Presov (1979), Moscow Theological Academy (1984) and the Department of Theology of University of Athens.

In 1985, he took monastic vows with the name of Krystof at St. Sergius Monastery of the Trinity. In 1987, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. He served as a parish priest at the Cathedral of Sts Cyril and Methodius in Prague.

In 1988, Hid Beatitude Metropolitan Dorotej consecrated him Bishop of Olomouc and Brno. In 2000, after the death of Metropolitan Dorotej, he was elected Archbishop of Prague and the Czech Lands and appointed head of the Metropolitan Council.

Archbishop Krystof participated in numerous theological conferences; he is engaged in academic and teaching work. He is Doctor of Theology and Philosophy. He has a good command of the Russian, Greek, German and English languages.

• The Orthodox Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia elects new primate