His Eminence, the Most Blessed Stephanos, Metropolitan of Tallinn ja All Estonia

His Eminence Stephanos, Metropolitan of Talinn and all Estonia (in the world Christakis Charalambides) was born in Bukavu (then Belgian Congo, now the Democratic Republic of Congo) on April the 29th, 1940 from orthodox Cypriot Greek parents. 
In 1959 he finished the college of «Notre-Dame de la Victoire» and the Jesuit secondary school in Bukavu.
He studied in St. Sergius Theological Institute (Paris) 1960-1965 and at the theological faculty in Sorbonne University 1964-1968.
1968 he was made Professor of Theology. He was ordained a deacon on January the 6th, 1963 and a priest on November the 17th, 1968.
In 1972 -1987 he was nominated Chancellor of the Metropolis France.in March the 25th, 1987 he was ordained the Bishop of Nazianzus (a vicar bishop of the Metropolitan of France; his real residence was in Nice).He has been a secretary of the Conference of Orthodox Bishops in France, the chairman of the media commission of the Orthodox Churches in France, the producer of the Orthodox programs in French television and radio.
He has been a lector at St. Sergius Theological Institute and from 1990 up to 1999 a professor of patrology at the Catholic Seminary of Nice. He has given lectures at the faculty of law of the University of Nice about the geopolitical role of the Orthodox Church and at the University of Montpellier on the spiritual tradition of Byzantium.
Metropolitan Stephanos has written various books and articles on theology in French, many have been translated into other languages.
On March 9th, 1999, he was elected the Metropolitan of Tallinn and All Estonia by the Church Congress of the Orthodox Church of Estonia. The vote was confirmed by the General Assembly of the OCE on March 18th, 2000. On March 21st, 1999 he was enthroned by the representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
He is ex officio the chairman of the Holy Synod and Church Administration and the representative of the OCE in the Estonian Council of Churches. He acts as a lector of homiletics, hagiology and patrology at the St Platon Seminary.
On August 12th, 2004, he was granted Estonian citizenship for special merits.
Metropolitan Stephanos has been granted the decorations of Officer of the Legion of Honour of France on June 4th 2003, Commander of the Order of Holy Lamb (Finnish Orthodox Church) on November 1st, 2003 and the White Star (Estonia) on February 7th, 2007.