Mark Arndt

Metropolitan Mark (secular name: Michael Arndt; born 29 January 1941) is the Metropolitan of Berlin and Germany of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Vice President of the global synod of the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and Overseer of the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

Life As a child, Michael attended the schools in Frankfurt am Main, graduating in 1960. After finishing school he volunteered for military service in West Germany for one year. Later he was recalled up to serve several times, rising to the rank of First lieutenant. In 1962, he entered Frankfurt University, then later transferred to the University of Heidelberg. His academic program included studies in English and Slavic languages and literature.

In the course of his study of Slavistics, he became a specialist in a number of Slavic languages and literature, including Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovak, Czech and Macedonian. He completed his PhD with the doctoral thesis "Biographical Literature of the Duchy of Tver in the 14th and 15th Centuries".

Since 27 July 2009 he is Member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church.

On 8 December 2016 the Synod of ROCOR heard the report by Archbishop Mark and then accepted his resignation from the Diocese of Great Britain.

On 10 December 2019, the feast day of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, Archbishop Mark was made a Metropolitan by the Holy Synod of ROCOR in recognition of his 40 years of Episcopal service to the Church. Although largely symbolic, this is the first instance of multiple active Metropolitan Bishops in ROCOR, apart from those who were previously made Metropolitans prior to the inception of ROCOR and retired Metropolitans.