He was born Maximos Vaportzis in the
Ottoman Empire, at
Sinop in
Kastamonu Vilayet, on the
Black Sea coast. He was first educated, under the protection of metropolitan bishop
Germanos Karavaggelis of
Amaseia, at the
Theological School of Halki, Ottoman Empire. In 1918, he was ordained a deacon. With this appointment, he also became teacher at the city school of Theira. He served as arch-deacon under Metropolitans Gregorios of Chalcedon and Joachim of Ephesus. In 1920, he became the archdeacon to the Ecumenical Patriarchate itself. In 1946, he became Patriarch of Constantinople. He was known for his "leftist opinions" and ties with the
Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'. He resigned in 1948, officially because of poor health; unofficially because Western powers did not approve his ties with the
Soviet-controlled Patriarch of Moscow. He was succeeded by the archbishop of America,
Athenagoras, and was given the title of Ephesus. He died in
Fenerbahçe on 1 January 1972. == Notes and references ==