He adopted Orthodoxy in 2014, after 34 years of priestly ministry in the Roman Catholic Church. With Patriarch Kirill’s blessing Father Constantine joined the fraternity of the High Monastery of St. Peter and before taking monastic vows he worked in churches of the convent, the monastery press service told Interfax-Religion on Tuesday.
Father Constantine was Doctor of Philosophy and professor of Slavic and Russian History in the Pontifical Oriental Institute (Rome), he was its vice rector, member of Jesuit Order, advisor of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Hieromonk Constantine (Simon) was born in 1955 in New Jersey (the USA) to a family of Orthodox and Protestants. He dedicated his life to studying history of the Orthodox Church, constantly cooperated with Russian and other Slavic communities of Europe, and lectured Church History in various universities of the world.