GEREMIA II TRANOS, PATRIARCA DI COSTANTINOPOLI

GEREMIAS II Tranos, patriarch of Constantinople. – He served as patriarch in the following years: 1572–79, 1580–84, 1589–95. On the occasion of his journey to Russia, he gave his consent to the establishment of the patriarchate of Moscow. The Lutheran theologians of Tübingen sought a union between Wittenberg and Byzantium, but G. firmly rejected, as is evident from his correspondence with those theologians between 1576 and 1581, the foundations of the Lutheran confession. He corresponded several times with Pope Gregory XIII regarding the reform of the calendar and a twofold papal embassy sent to him; however, he did not follow through on his promises concerning this matter. Precious are his praise for the establishment of the Pontifical Greek College in Rome, and his condemnation of Protestantism, also expressed in a letter to the Pope.