John XI Becchus
patriarch of Constantinople
John XI Becchus, (born c. 1235, Nicaea, Empire of Nicaea—died March 1297, Nicomedia, Byzantine Empire), Greek Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople (1275–82) and leading Byzantine proponent of reunion between the Greek and Roman churches.
As archivist and assistant chancellor to Constantinople’s anti-unionist patriarch Arsenius (1255–65), Becchus at first opposed union with Rome, taking the stand of his patriarch against that of the pro-unionist emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus. Eventually, however, he was won over by the Emperor and sent on several diplomatic missions, laying the groundwork for reunion. When Pope Gregory X convened preliminary councils to explore the advantages of an East–West union, however, ... (100 of 348 words)