Synod of Cyprus Extends Paphos Locum Tenens, Moves to Redraft Charter

A meeting of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus. Photo: Orthodoxia News Agency

NICOSIA — The Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus convened in extraordinary session on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Archbishop Georgios and decided to initiate a restructuring of the Church’s charter, citing ambiguities and difficulties in its application, Orthodoxia News Agency reports. This comes as the Synod is preparing to elect a new hierarch for the See of Paphos, of which Metropolitan Tychikos was recently deposed from, and eventually indefinitely suspended from the priesthood.

This decision is two-fold: under the current charter, when a Metropolis is vacant, the faithful elect a three-person shortlist, from which the Holy Synod selects the new Metropolitan. According to available information, Archbishop Georgios is expected to propose abolishing the popular vote (which would likely include Tychikos), transferring full responsibility for the election of Metropolitans exclusively to the Synod, without participation by the laity. Second, this decision comes after the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate — despite upholding the Church's decision to depose Metropolitan Tychikos — cited "certain procedural omissions" and called the Cypriot Synod's process into question.

"It should be noted that the violation of the Charter of the Church of Cyprus was the basis of Metropolitan Tychikos' appeal, which was to no avail even after being recognized as valid," previous reporting from the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America states. "In short, his case was proven yet ignored."

UOJ has also reported on a letter sent by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Church of Cyprus which stated, "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."

According to the Synod of Cyprus' communiqué, a constituent committee composed of members of the Holy Synod and specialized jurists will be formed to redraw the Church's statute, a process expected to take several months. In the interim, the Synod extended Archbishop Georgios' role as locum tenens of the Metropolitan See of Paphos until the new charter is drafted and approved.

The Synod also declared invalid the actions of clergy deposed at the uncanonically established Hesychasterion of St. Habakkuk, stating that their services lack sacramental grace. Additionally, it approved the celebration of marriages during the Christmas Fast through December 12 in future years and authorized the inclusion of new supplicatory hymns related to the Turkish occupation of Cyprus in the Good Friday Praises.

No developments were announced regarding Metropolitan Tychikos, pending any official notification of a Supreme Court appeal.

Previously, UOJ reported that Archbishop Georgios had defended the removal of Metropolitan Tychikos as essential to curbing "morbid fanaticism" within the Church of Cyprus.

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