Synod of Cyprus Places Metr. Tychikos Under Indefinite Suspension

Metropolitan Tychikos. Photo: Facebook/Metropolis of Paphos

NICOSIA — The Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus has placed Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos under indefinite suspension following an extraordinary session held under the presidency of Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus. The decision was adopted by a vote of 11 in favor and five against.

As reported by UOJ-Greece, those opposing the latest suspension included Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol, Bishop Epiphanios of Ledra, Nikolaos of Amathous, Bishop Porphyrios of Ledra and Neapolis, and Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou. Supporting the measure were Archbishop Georgios and 10 other hierarchs of the Church of Cyprus.

According to a statement by the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, Fr. Georgios Christodoulou, the suspension will remain in force until Metropolitan Tychikos fully accepts the conditions set by the Church of Cyprus. The session proceeded in his absence, despite earlier decisions affirming that he remains a member of the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy.

The conditions are:

• submits the specific Confession of Faith requested by the Holy Synod;
• withdraws his appeal or his intention to appeal to the civil courts;
• condemns separation from the Church (apokopē/apoteichismos);
• accepts new duties at the Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus, which will be assigned to him by the Archbishop of Cyprus; and
• ceases to cause unrest and scandal to the fullness of the Church.

Since Metropolitan Tychikos has already addressed several of these items, it would appear that his previous Confession of Faith was either unsatisfactory or completely disregarded. A letter from the hierarch, delivered on January 5, first referenced his initial deposition on May 22, 2025, as a "non-institutionalized procedure, not established according to canonical-legal norms." He then submitted a Confession of Faith in which he declared fidelity to all that the Church teaches.

"I confess everything that has been set forth by the Holy Councils under the influence of the enlightening grace of the Most Holy Spirit as a condition of true faith, as well as the sacred canons which the Holy Fathers compiled and handed over to the Church for the order of moral order in accordance with the apostolic traditions and the spirit of the Gospel Divine teaching," he wrote.

He also "condemned every heresy that the Orthodox Church condemns" and noted that he has "never thought or made a stop to commemorating the name of Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus and our Holy Hierarchy at divine services."

He then refers to the “omissions” which the Ecumenical Patriarchate itself also identified in the synodal procedure of his deposition on May 22, 2025, and he requests a re-examination of the decision in accordance with the provisions of the Statute. Otherwise, he informs them that he intends to appeal to the civil courts of Cyprus and to the European Court of Human Rights against what he describes as an uncanonical and unlawful decision.

Metropolitan Tychikos was previously declared deposed on May 22, 2025, in a vote of 10 to six. Under that ruling, he retained his episcopal rank and Synod membership and was placed at the disposal of the Church for future assignment. He subsequently appealed to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which upheld the position of the Church of Cyprus while acknowledging procedural shortcomings.

It is notable that, according to journalist Natasha Ioannou, a letter sent by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Church of Cyprus emphasized "that either due to excessive zeal, or due to ignorance of the current legal framework, or due to omissions in the Statute, the decision of May 22, 2025, has canonical-procedural shortcomings."

Previously, UOJ reported that Metropolitan Tychikos had returned to Cyprus ahead of the Synod meeting.

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