His Eminence Metropolitan Ioustinos of Nea Krini and Kalamaria

Metropolitan Ioustinos (Bardakas) of Nea Krini and Kalamaria was born in Meliti, Florina, in 1969. He is descended from Asia Minor refugees; two of his family members sacrificed their lives for their homeland during the glorious Macedonian Struggle.

He completed his primary and secondary education in Florina and entered the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, from which he graduated in 1991 with the grade “Excellent”.

He attended postgraduate courses in the field of Patristic Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, as well as at the University of Neapolis in Cyprus.

He worked at the Center for Byzantine Research of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki as a research associate.

In 1993 he was tonsured a monk and ordained deacon, and in 1996 he was ordained presbyter by Metropolitan Augustinos (Kantiotis) of Florina, from whom he also received the title of Archimandrite.

In 1997, on the proposal of Metropolitan Augustinos of Florina, he was appointed preacher of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece for the spiritual needs of the sensitive region of the Metropolis of Florina.

In 2000 he was appointed by his elder, Metropolitan Theoklitos of Florina, as Protosyngellus of the Holy Metropolis of Florina and Abbot of the historic Holy Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos at Kladorrachi.

In 2013 he was appointed Secretary of the Special Synodal Committee for the relations of the Church of Greece with the ecclesiastical television station “4E.”

He has delivered hundreds of talks of spiritual and national content in Greece and abroad, has been involved in television and radio productions, is an author of books of spiritual and historical content, has participated in local and international conferences as a speaker, writes for magazines and newspapers, has edited honorific volumes and albums, and served as chief editor of the magazine of the Holy Metropolis of Florina, “SALPINX ORTHODOXIAS.”