[1] He was born Maximos Vaportzis in the Ottoman Empire, at Sinop in Kastamonu Vilayet, on the Black Sea coast.
He was first educated, under the protection of metropolitan bishop Germanos Karavaggelis of Amaseia, at the Theological School of Halki, Ottoman Empire.
He served as arch-deacon under Metropolitans Gregorios of Chalcedon and Joachim of Ephesus.
He resigned in 1948, officially because of poor health; unofficially because Western powers did not approve his ties with the Soviet-controlled Patriarch of Moscow.
He was succeeded by the archbishop of America, Athenagoras I of Constantinople, and was given the title of Ephesus.