Callinicus III is a unique case of an Ecumenical Patriarch who was Patriarch for a single day. He was Bishop of Heracleia and a very ambitious man who used any means in order to become Patriarch. He had tried many times unsuccessfully to seize the throne. In 1757, he plotted with some high ranking Greek civil servants against the incumbent Patriarch Cyril V and by bribing the Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmed Pasha managed to depose his rival and ascend the Throne as Patriarch Callinicus III. His Patriarchate lasted only for hours though because he died from a sudden heart attack when he heard that he had indeed been elected.

This article about an Eastern Orthodox bishop is a stub. You can help by expanding it. v t e