Patriarch Alexius II
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Patriarch Alexei II (born February 23, 1929) is the current Patriarch of Moscow and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was born as Alexey Mikhailovich Ridiger in Tallinn, Estonia, to the family of a priest. He graduated from Leningrad clerical seminary in 1949; was consecrated deacon in 1950; graduated from Leningrad clerical academy in 1953. On August 14, 1961, he was chosen to be the Bishop of Tallinn and Estonia. On June 23, 1964, he was promoted to archbishop; and, on February 25, 1968, at the age of 39 - to metropolitan. After the death of Patriarch Pimen I in 1990 Alexei was chosen to become the new head of Russian Orthodox Church.
Despite his age, Patriarch Alexei II is quite healthy and leads an active political life. He's frequently seen on Russian TV, meeting with politicians and expressing opinions (these are usually in line with political opinions of the President of Russia).
Relatively little is known about his personal life. Patriarch's 75 acre (304,000 m²) summer residence is located in Peredelkino, a suburb of Moscow; it includes a 350 year old restored church, a museum, and a three-story house (built in the late 1990's at an estimated cost of around $70 million). There is also a winter residence - an apartment in the center of Moscow. Both residences act as living quarters and his office at the same time. He commutes in an armored car under the protection of federal agents. Being a monk, Alexei II is not allowed to possess any property himself; residences and cars formally belong to the Moscow Patriarchate.
Trivia
- Alexei is rumored to have been a KGB agent during the Soviet period. According to the documents, found in Estonian KGB archives, he was recruited on February 28, 1958. It is possible that the documents were forged.
- His name (secular Алексей, clerical Алексий) is transliterated from the Russian alphabet into English in various forms, including Alexius, Alexei, and Alexy. He didn't change his first name when he became a monk.