Empty Cathedral in Nicosia as Faithful Protest Against the Archbishop

Livestream of the nearly empty Cathedral

NICOSIA — On July 13, 2025, the feast of the Holy Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, the Cathedral of St. Barnabas the Apostle in Nicosia stood almost empty during the hierarchical Divine Liturgy presided over by Archbishop Georgios—a symbolic protest by the faithful against the deposition of Met. Tychikos of Paphos and the violation of canonical order within the Church of Cyprus.

With mixed feelings of sorrow and hope as I looked at the photos flooding the religious pages of the internet, I recalled the saying: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Allow me to be more specific:

Does it not cause pain to witness the majestic cathedral of the Church of Cyprus—St. Barnabas in Nicosia—nearly empty on the day commemorating the Holy Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 13, 2025), even though the liturgy was led by Archbishop Georgios?

Why do we see this sorrowful image of an empty church during the Great Entrance?

Have Cypriots stopped going to church? Hardly—Cyprus’s churches are usually full.

So, what is happening?

Let Archbishop Georgios, who presided over the service, reflect on what the tragic image of an empty cathedral reveals. Perhaps it does not signify a lack of ecclesial consciousness among the faithful but rather testifies to the awakening of a true ecclesial consciousness.

Could it be that the presence of Archbishop Georgios in the cathedral of St. Barnabas was the reason the faithful chose to attend services elsewhere?

Is the absence of believers not a clear form of protest and disapproval of Archbishop Georgios’s actions?

Might it be that the strong ecclesial conscience of the people has risen up against the unacceptable actions taken by Archbishop Georgios against Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos—and against the very integrity of the Church?

Did the people, through their absence from the liturgy presided over by Archbishop Georgios, not wish to send him a clear message:

“Enough, Your Beatitude!
You have no right to act arbitrarily!
You have no right to ignore the canonical order, the Charter of our Church, or the principles of a lawful state!
You have no right to humiliate our Apostolic Church before the entire Orthodox world!
Stop provoking us!
Stop scandalizing us!”

Is there any hope that the Archbishop heard this message? I do not believe so—but I hope, and I pray for it.

Otherwise, the Archbishop will be left only to repeat: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

But by then, it will be too late.

The absence of the faithful from the liturgy led by Archbishop Georgios should also be taken seriously by the other hierarchs of Cyprus—especially those who, whether out of fear, pressure, or more likely due to sinful interests, participated in scandalizing the people and humiliating the Church of Cyprus before the entire Orthodox world through the unjust and immoral deposition of Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos.

Your Eminences,
The legally and morally unacceptable and unjust “trial” of Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos—and all that followed (the ban on serving, refusal to allow a memorial for his mother, reduction of his salary, threats and insults)—all of this only elevates Metropolitan Tychikos in the eyes of the people, while simultaneously undermining the authority and moral credibility of the Archbishop and his supporters.

But even those who remain silent today are not free of responsibility. Do not forget the Roman legal maxim:
“Qui tacet, consentire videtur” – “He who is silent is taken to consent.”

Though not part of modern legislation, this phrase remains a powerful accusation in the face of history—and history will judge the guilty silence. And its judgment will be merciless.

I dedicate to you, hierarchs of Cyprus, the thoughts of Professor Aristotelis Manesis:

“In times like these, what matters most is not to avoid persecution, but to avoid humiliation.
To preserve your dignity—as a person, a citizen, a scholar.
And by doing so, to defend the integrity of the academic chair you have the honor to occupy—
which, being a bastion of political freedom, is naturally subject to political storms during its prime…”
(Aristotelis Manesis, Constitutional Law lecture, January 18, 1968)

But I fear that the judgment of history will be preceded by the indignant protest of the faithful, who hold you accountable for what is happening in the Church of Cyprus. And then, together with the Archbishop, you will have to ask yourselves the same question about your flock:

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Athens, July 14, 2025
Georgios Anastasiou, Theologian

The Union of Orthodox Journalists previously reported on Met. Tychikos's appeal to the Patriarch of Constantinople to overturn his deposition, citing grave violations of the Charter of the Church of Cyprus and international legal standards.

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