PATRIARCHS and Bishops meeting in Nicosia to rule on homosexuality charges against the Bishop of Limassol yesterday made it clear they would not condemn Athanassios without concrete testimony from at least two eyewitnesses. They expect to rule on the case tomorrow.
The gay claims threaten to rip the local Orthodox Church apart, and Archbishop Chrysostomos called a Major Synod of two Patriarchs and 20 bishops from across the Orthodox world in an attempt to clear Athanassios and end the crisis.
Athanassios was yesterday called before the Major Synod, with church sources saying he was to be questioned on charges of “looking at men”. The chairman of the Major Synod, Patriarch Petros of Alexandria, said the convocation was yesterday getting down to “the essence of the issue”.
The spokesman for the Major Synod, Bishop Anthemos of Alexandria, made it clear Athanassios would not be condemned lightly: “We need at least two witnesses who must be eyewitnesses or victims and must be reliable.”
Anthemos added that witnesses who had later withdrawn their testimonies were not regarded as reliable. Two of the four laymen who testified against Athanassios before an earlier local inquiry into the gay claims have since retracted their statements. Anthemos’ statement appeared to be good news for Athanassios and his supporters, who flatly deny the gay charges and claim the Limassol Bishop is the victim of a conspiracy.
Police have charged two clergymen and three laymen who testified against the Bishop before a local Church inquiry with conspiring to defame Athanassios.
The beleaguered Bishop’s many supporters claim Bishop Chrysostomos of Paphos is the driving force behind a plot to get rid of Athanassios.
His lawyer, Christos Clerides, maintains Athanassios is the victim of a conspiracy by detractors who feel threatened by his popularity.
The major Synod decided on Tuesday to expel Bishop Chrysostomos and his close associate, Bishop Georgios of Arsinoe, from its meetings.
The Major Synod has appointed a sub-committee to examine the evidence against Athanassios gathered by two local inquiries ordered by the Cyprus Holy Synod.
Anthemos said the Major Synod, which convened on Tuesday, would continue to meet twice a day until tomorrow, when a ruling on the Athanassios crisis is expected.
The Limassol Bishop, who has voluntarily excluded himself from the Major Synod’s sessions, reportedly appeared before the probe sub-committee yesterday. This is only the second time a Major Synod has met on the island in the 2,000-year history of the Church of Cyprus, the last time being in 1973, when it convened to defrock a group of Bishops for conspiring against the late Archbishop Makarios. More than 18 bishops and two patriarchs from the church of Greece and the Orthodox apostolic seats of Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch in Damascus are attending the congregation, which is being held behind closed doors at the Archbishopric in Nicosia.
