Georgios Xenopoulos
Catholic priest · Catholic bishop
- August 23, 1898 · Syros
- January 28, 1980 · Greece
- 81 years
About Georgios Xenopoulos
Georgios Xenopoulos, 81, Greek Roman Catholic prelate.
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Full Biography
|Georgios Xenopoulos, SJ (Greek: Γεώργιος Ξενόπουλος; 23 August 1898 – 28 January 1980) was a Greek Jesuit and prelate of the Catholic Church. From 1947 until his retirement in 1974, he was the Bishop of Santorini and the Bishop of Syros. In addition, he was at various times the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Athens, the Diocese of Crete, and the Apostolic Vicariate of Salonica. He died in 1980, aged 81.
Biography
Xenopoulos was born on 23 August 1898 in Syros, Greece. He joined the Society of Jesus and was ordained to the priesthood on 31 July 1926.
On 22 February 1947, Xenopulos was appointed Bishop of Syros and Bishop of Santorini by Pope Pius XII. His episcopal consecration took place on 20 July 1947, with the Archbishop of Naxos, Tinos, Andros and Mykonos, Giovanni Francesco Filippucci, as principal consecrator, and Archbishop Antonios Grigorios Voutsinos, AA, and Bishop George Calavassy serving as co-consecrators. From 1950 to 1953, he was apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Athens and the Apostolic Vicariate of Salonica (now Thessaloniki). In 1952, he was additionally appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Crete, a position he held until his death.
From 1963 to 1965, Xenopulos participated in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council. He was noted for addressing the concept of opening Communion under both kinds (e.g. bread and wine; the wine had previously been restricted to priests). Regarding the reception of wine through a common chalice, he raised concerns about health and women's lipstick, saying:
"Today the faithful, especially men, can be seen not to come forward to kiss a sacred relic because, among other things, they fear their lips will be colored by the red marks left by women on the glass of the reliquary. What will happen now when so many hundreds and thousands of dyed lips of women or perhaps hundreds of lips of men which are not proper and pure and sometimes are infected with base sicknesses are applied to the rims of the chalice? The result will be that many of the faithful will abstain from Communion."
Yves Congar, the French Dominican theologian, took notice of Xenopulos at the Council, writing in his book My Journey of the Council about Xenopulos, "the name is Greek, but his pronunciation of Latin was typically and entirely Italian."
During his tenure as bishop, Xenopulos consecrated a number of bishops. He was principal consecrator of Archbishop of Athens Marios Makrionitis in 1953, of Archbishop of Naxos, Tinos, Andros and Mykonos Ioánnis Perrís in 1961, and Bishop of Syros and Santorini Frangiskos Papamanolis, OFM Cap, in 1974. He was co-consecrator of Archbishop Marcus Sigala in 1947, Bishop Hyakinthos Gad in 1958, Archbishop Venediktos Printesis in 1959, Archbishop Antonios Varthalitis, AA, in 1962, and Archbishop Nikolaos Foskolos in 1973.
Xenopulos died on 28 January 1980, aged 81.
Episcopal lineage
- Cardinal Scipione Rebiba
- Cardinal Giulio Antonio Santorio (1566)
- Cardinal Girolamo Bernerio, OP (1586)
- Archbishop Galeazzo Sanvitale (1604)
- Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi (1621)
- Cardinal Luigi Caetani (1622)
- Cardinal Ulderico Carpegna (1630)
- Cardinal Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni (1666)
- Pope Benedict XIII (1675)
- Pope Benedict XIV (1724)
- Pope Clement XIII (1743)
- Cardinal Marco Antonio Colonna (1762)
- Cardinal Hyacinthe Sigismond Gerdil, CRSP (1777)
- Cardinal Giulio Maria della Somaglia (1788)
- Cardinal Carlo Odescalchi, SJ (1823)
- Bishop Eugène de Mazenod, OMI (1832)
- Archbishop Joseph-Hippolyte Guibert, OMI (1842)
- Cardinal François-Marie-Benjamin Richard (1872)
- Cardinal Pietro Gasparri (1898)
- Archbishop Angelo Rotta (1922)
- Archbishop Giovanni Francesco Filippucci (1927)
- Bishop Georges Xenopulos, SJ (1947)
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgios_Xenopoulos
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Georgios Xenopoulos's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date was Georgios Xenopoulos born?
- A.20 July 1947
- B.28 January 1980
- C.23 August 1898correct
- D.31 July 1926
Georgios Xenopoulos was born on 23 August 1898 in Syros, Greece.
Source: Biography section
2.In which city was Georgios Xenopoulos born?
- A.Naxos
- B.Athens
- C.Thessaloniki
- D.Syroscorrect
Georgios Xenopoulos was born in Syros, Greece, on 23 August 1898.
Source: Biography section
3.In which religious order was Georgios Xenopoulos a member?
- A.Dominican Order
- B.Society of Jesuscorrect
- C.Assumptionists
- D.Capuchin Order
Georgios Xenopoulos was a member of the Society of Jesus, a Jesuit.
Source: Biography section
4.When was Georgios Xenopoulos ordained to the priesthood?
- A.22 February 1947
- B.20 July 1947
- C.31 July 1926correct
- D.23 August 1980
Georgios Xenopoulos joined the Society of Jesus and was ordained to the priesthood on 31 July 1926.
Source: Biography section
5.Who appointed Georgios Xenopoulos as Bishop of Syros and Santorini in 1947?
- A.Pope Pius XIIcorrect
- B.Pope Pius XI
- C.Pope John XXIII
- D.Pope Paul VI
Georgios Xenopoulos was appointed Bishop of Syros and Bishop of Santorini by Pope Pius XII on 22 February 1947.
Source: Biography section
6.Who served as the principal consecrator for the episcopal consecration of Georgios Xenopoulos?
- A.Giovanni Francesco Filippuccicorrect
- B.Antonios Grigorios Voutsinos
- C.Marios Makrionitis
- D.George Calavassy
The episcopal consecration of Georgios Xenopoulos took place with the Archbishop of Naxos, Tinos, Andros and Mykonos, Giovanni Francesco Filippucci, as principal consecrator.
Source: Biography section
7.From 1950 to 1953, Georgios Xenopoulos served as the apostolic administrator of which two locations?
- A.Athens and Salonicacorrect
- B.Andros and Mykonos
- C.Naxos and Tinos
- D.Crete and Syros
From 1950 to 1953, Georgios Xenopoulos was apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Athens and the Apostolic Vicariate of Salonica.
Source: Biography section
8.How long did Georgios Xenopoulos hold the position of apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Crete?
- A.From 1963 to 1965
- B.From 1952 until his deathcorrect
- C.From 1947 to 1950
- D.From 1950 to 1953
Georgios Xenopoulos was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Crete in 1952, a position he held until his death.
Source: Biography section
9.Which ecclesiastical event did Georgios Xenopoulos participate in from 1963 to 1965?
- A.The Council of Ephesus
- B.The Second Vatican Councilcorrect
- C.The Council of Trent
- D.The First Vatican Council
Georgios Xenopoulos participated in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council from 1963 to 1965.
Source: Biography section
10.What concern did Georgios Xenopoulos express regarding the distribution of Communion wine in a common chalice?
- A.The lack of enough priests to serve
- B.The expense of the wine
- C.The potential for spilled wine
- D.Hygiene and makeup on the chalice rimcorrect
At the Council, Georgios Xenopoulos raised concerns about health and women's lipstick on the chalice rim.
Source: Biography section
11.What comment did Yves Congar make about Georgios Xenopoulos in his book?
- A.His pronunciation of Latin was typically Italiancorrect
- B.He had a very unique preaching style
- C.He spoke fluent Greek
- D.He was a staunch supporter of traditional liturgy
The French Dominican theologian Yves Congar wrote that while the name was Greek, the pronunciation of Latin by Georgios Xenopoulos was typically and entirely Italian.
Source: Biography section
12.In 1953, Georgios Xenopoulos was the principal consecrator for which archbishop?
- A.Ioánnis Perrís
- B.Marios Makrionitiscorrect
- C.Marcus Sigala
- D.Frangiskos Papamanolis
Georgios Xenopoulos was the principal consecrator of the Archbishop of Athens Marios Makrionitis in 1953.
Source: Biography section
13.Whom did Georgios Xenopoulos consecrate as Bishop of Syros and Santorini in 1974?
- A.Nikolaos Foskolos
- B.Venediktos Printesis
- C.Frangiskos Papamanoliscorrect
- D.Antonios Varthalitis
Georgios Xenopoulos was the principal consecrator of the Bishop of Syros and Santorini, Frangiskos Papamanolis, in 1974.
Source: Biography section
14.When did Georgios Xenopoulos retire from his role as Bishop of Santorini and Syros?
- A.1965
- B.1953
- C.1974correct
- D.1980
Georgios Xenopoulos served as the Bishop of Santorini and Syros from 1947 until his retirement in 1974.
Source: Biography section
15.At what age did Georgios Xenopoulos die?
- A.85
- B.76
- C.90
- D.81correct
Georgios Xenopoulos died on 28 January 1980 at the age of 81.
Source: Biography section
16.Who is listed in the episcopal lineage as the immediate predecessor to Georgios Xenopoulos?
- A.Angelo Rotta
- B.Pietro Gasparri
- C.François-Marie-Benjamin Richard
- D.Giovanni Francesco Filippuccicorrect
According to the episcopal lineage, Archbishop Giovanni Francesco Filippucci (1927) was the immediate predecessor to Bishop Georges Xenopulos (1947).
Source: Episcopal lineage section
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