The Abp. of Cyprus, the Euros, and the Phanar

With the 'Autocephalous' Church of Ukraine serving as a backdrop, this Friday will reveal the true intentions of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Abp. Georgios of Cyprus in the case of Met. Tychikos. Graphic: UOJ

The following was written by theologian Anastasios Georgios and originally published on the UOJ-Greece (eeod.gr) website.

Tomorrow, the Patriarchal Synod of the Ecumenical Throne will convene in Constantinople, and the day after tomorrow, Friday, Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos will appear before it. During this session, the appeal submitted by Metropolitan Tychikos against the decision of the Synod of Cyprus—which declared him deposed—will be examined.

All Orthodox Churches are closely following the case of Tychikos and are eagerly awaiting the Patriarchal decision on the appeal—each for its own reasons. Those involved in inter-Orthodox affairs understand the gravity of that last phrase…

Beyond the August announcement from the Synod, which made it known that Metropolitan Tychikos would be invited to Constantinople, there has been no further official or unofficial information from the Patriarchate regarding the direction the decision might take. Patriarchal circles are maintaining the appropriate silence.

The same stance is being taken by Metropolitan Tychikos. From May 22 until today, Metropolitan Tychikos has made no public statement about his case. He has refused to publicly defend himself.

Completely different, however, is the stance of Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus. Not only does he not remain silent, but increasingly he provokes both the public’s sense of justice and the Ecumenical Patriarchate itself: wherever he is, he claims that the case of Tychikos is settled, because the Patriarchate will endorse the Synod’s decision to depose Metropolitan Tychikos. His close associates at the Archdiocese in Nicosia, as well as bishops aligned with him, say the same.

So confident is he that the Patriarchate will approve all the unlawful, uncanonical, and unconstitutional actions he has committed in the case of Tychikos, that he is acting in Paphos not as a locum tenens but as the rightful ruling metropolitan: transferring priests, changing committees, inaugurating churches, signing contracts worth hundreds of thousands of euros with the Municipality of Paphos for works on church-owned property—contracts that Metropolitan Tychikos had previously rejected, and so on.

We cannot know whether all this behavior is dictated by his character, as it manifested so harshly in the Tychikos case—marked by arrogance, delusions of omnipotence, arbitrariness, certainty of impunity, and generally the attitude of "I do as I please," disregarding everything and everyone: no rules, no charter, no laws, neither God nor man.

The question is: does the Archbishop’s certainty that the Patriarchate will justify his and the Synod’s illegal actions in the Tychikos case stem from his character, or does he in fact know the decision well before the Synod has even convened? But how could he know the Synodal decision on such a critical matter when the Synod has neither convened nor deliberated yet? When, in its session in August 2025, the Patriarchal Synod decided to invite Metropolitan Tychikos for a hearing on October 17, 2025, how can the Archbishop now be spreading the notion in advance that the decision has already been made in favor of his position?

Everyone understands that this is a particularly serious matter—not just regarding the specific case, but above all for the authority, dignity, and credibility of the Ecumenical Patriarchate itself.

The issue is developing into a highly serious and provocative one: Just yesterday (October 14, 2025), the Cypriot theologian Theodoros Kyriakou—a journalist generally well-informed on ecclesiastical affairs, a harsh critic of Metropolitan Tychikos, closely aligned with Archbishop Georgios, and a key supporter of his positions—stated:

“Personally, I believe the Ecumenical Patriarchate will not risk upsetting its relations with the Archbishop and our Synod, especially given the fact that the Church of Cyprus supports the Phanar in many ways. Specifically, it supported the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church and financially supports the Patriarchate.”

Mr. Kyriakou had made similar statements earlier, on the show "Protoselido" on Sigma TV (September 30, 2025):

“I don’t expect the decision of the Cypriot Synod to change, because—as I’ve said before—the relations between the Patriarchate and the Church of Cyprus don’t allow for that. On the contrary, [the Patriarchate] will confirm [the decision] and send back Bishop Tychikos with the directive that he must comply with the Church of Cyprus. It will take a position, but the Ecumenical Patriarchate—although the appeal gives it the right to intervene—is very cautious when it comes to the Church of Cyprus. Don’t forget that the Church of Cyprus is one of the four that supported Ukrainian autocephaly. Don’t forget that the Church of Cyprus has been financially supporting the Phanar for many years.” (See: youtu.be/X7wnsPXO2IU, 4:20–6:15)

It is worth noting that Theodoros Kyriakou does not lightly risk his credibility. As mentioned, he is friendly toward Archbishop Georgios and is very well informed on ecclesiastical affairs in Cyprus.

So what do his words mean—that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will ratify the Archbishop’s decision to depose Metropolitan Tychikos, because it does not wish to clash with him, and because the Church of Cyprus (i.e., Archbishop Georgios)
a) “supports Ukrainian autocephaly” and
b) “has been financially supporting the Phanar for many years”?

How are we to interpret such a statement?

a) As a crude blackmail of the Ecumenical Patriarch by Archbishop Georgios—implying that if he doesn’t punish Tychikos, the Archbishop will stop recognizing Ukrainian autocephaly and cut off financial support to the Patriarchate?
or
b) As a clear indication that money is truly the deciding factor in such critical decisions of the Patriarchate—and in this case, in determining the future of the Metropolis of Paphos and Metropolitan Tychikos?

We would rather not even think about it.

Yet, to support and confirm the validity of Kyriakou’s statements, let us recall that Archpriest and missionary Fr. Evangelos Papanikolaou, in a public speech on July 29, 2025, openly revealed what is already well known in ecclesiastical circles in Cyprus regarding the Archbishop and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He publicly denounced:

“It is said in Cyprus that the big man [i.e., Archbishop Georgios] says: If the Patriarch doesn’t make the decision I want, then I will start commemorating Onouphrios. Lovely things—ecclesiastically speaking! If that’s the situation we’re in...”

This statement was received with great surprise by many Orthodox Churches, and even Greek bishops viewed it with skepticism, wondering what exactly the Archbishop of Cyprus is trying to portray with such words.

Now, one of his unofficial associates repeatedly claims that the determining factors in the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s decision on the Church of Cyprus will not be the holy canons, the Ecclesiastical Charter, justice, or truth, but expediency: support of the Patriarch’s choices and money!

Everyone knows that Tychikos neither has money nor does he possess the mentality of deal-making, and thus he is at a disadvantage compared to Archbishop Georgios, who handles enormous sums and—who knows—under whose supervision, if any, when it comes to the financial management of Church property.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate is now called to respond to these provocations by the Archbishop—not through verbal statements or written announcements—but through a well-documented decision on the appeal that aligns with the holy canons, the ecclesiastical tradition, the Charter, and the sense of justice among Cypriots and all Orthodox faithful around the world.

Any contrary decision—one that justifies injustice, legitimizes illegality, and rewards arbitrariness and authoritarianism—will undermine the universality of the Throne of Constantinople. And any future invocation of the right to appeal (ekkliton) will provoke, at the very least, laughter from those who hear it.

The Patriarchal Synod is now called to decide…

Athens, October 15, 2025
Anastasios Georgios, Theologian

Previously, UOJ reported on the upcoming appearance of Metropolitan Tychikos this week at the Phanar.

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