IN THE latest development in the ongoing power struggle between the leaderless bishops, the Paphos Bishop yesterday accused the Kiti Bishop of failing to deliver to the Patriarch of Constantinople the wish of the Synod to hold next year’s Greater Synod in Cyprus.
On Wednesday the Ecumenical Pariarchate of Constantinople announced that the Greater Synod – which was to convene next year to decide whether the Archbishopric throne in Cyprus should be declared vacant – would take place in Chamb?sy, Switzerland, on May 17 and 18, with the Patriarch presiding.
The Patriarchate sent letters to all of the Cyprus bishops, informing them of the decision.
The current Cyprus Archbishop, who is in advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, has for years now been incapable of performing his duties, with the bishops divided over whether or not elections should be held to replace him.
The decision by the Patriarchate is seen as a setback for the acting head of the Holy Synod, Paphos Bishop Chrysostomos, who has been opposed to the staging of elections and pushed for the Greater Synod to take place in Cyprus where he would have a larger influence over the proceedings.
Chrysostomos told state radio yesterday that Kiti Bishop, also Chrysostomos, had been relegated to deliver the wish of the Cyprus Church that the Greater Synod take place in Cyprus, but despite having “begged our brothers who were travelling there [to Istanbul], and especially Holy Kiti” to deliver the message, the Kiti Bishop “unfortunately took the epistle but did not say even one word as to the wish of the Synod.”
“I realised this when Holy Kiti returned, said the Paphos Bishop, “That’s why we held an extraordinary Synod, so we could send another epistle.”
Bishop Chrysostomos also said that he wants the letter that the Patriarch sent to be closely examined and discussed in a Holy Synod meeting after December 5 when many of the church leaders who are presently abroad have returned.
The Paphos Bishop added that his main concerns are that “unanimous decisions” be taken by the Cyprus Synod and that the autocephaly of the Cyprus Church be preserved since it is among the most ancient and autocephalous in the world. The Apostles Paul and Barnabas founded the Church of Cyprus in AD 45.
When asked for his personal opinion on the Patriarchate’s decision, he said that he did not want to comment until the Holy Synod met after December 5.
Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary of the Synod of the Patriarchate in Istanbul, Archimandrite Elpidoforos, told CyBC that the decision of the Patriarchate is “final” and “completely corresponds to the request put forth by the Church of Cyprus”, which as he said requested for the convening of a Greater Synod that would include the Church of Cyprus and that would decide solely on whether or not to declare the Archbishop’s throne vacant. “We have done all this.”
Archimandrite Elpidoforos also said that no request had been submitted for a Greater Holy Synod in Cyprus, but rather only a “proposal”, and sent a warning to any bishops who might try to oppose the decision: “They can’t deny the decision of the Patriarch.”
Limassol Bishop Athanassios, who tends to stay out of the wrangling between the bishops, said yesterday that he was pleased that the Patriarch had undertaken the initiative to help the Cyprus Church by sending the letter, adding that the letter was clear in its message and has “put an end to the issue of the convocation of the [Greater] Holy Synod”.
Bishop Athanassios also said that he believed that this issue would “develop normally and smoothly”, which would mark a rare departure from the past, considering all the unflattering remarks and accusations that the other bishops have exchanged over the past few months.
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