He had a close rapport with his predecessor, Patriarch Parthenius III of Alexandria and assumed the latter's post after his death in 1996.[6] Throughout his reign, Petros built relationships with other church organizations and engaged with religious churches outside the Greek Orthodox community.[2] Petros also initiated peaceful relationships between the Muslim and Christian people in the Middle East and interacted with Arab leaders, including Yasser Arafat.[3] Petros reigned as Patriarch of Alexandria for seven years until his death.[5]