Upon the death of Patriarch Diodoros, Skopelitis was appointed locum tenens (temporary head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem) in 2000, and was elected patriarch on 13 August 2001, in the traditional election held at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. He was enthroned on 15 September 2001 as "Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine, Syria, beyond the Jordan River, Cana of Galilee and Holy Zion" in the presence of senior church and secular dignitaries, including Archbishop Christodoulos of the Church of Greece and Metropolitan Nicholas of the Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church.
