Paphos bishop heads for Istanbul with special instructions
WITH AN epistle in hand, Paphos bishop Chrysostomos has dashed to Istanbul for an urgent audience with the Ecumenical Patriarch in a last-ditch bid to prevent deadlock before a crucial gathering of clerics to determine the future of the Church of Cyprus.
His mission: to persuade Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew that the Greater Synod, scheduled to convene in Champezy, Switzerland, next week must not discuss any other matter other than vacating the throne of the Archbishop.
If not, he says Church leaders in Cyprus are threatening to boycott the Greater Synod.
Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the elderly Archbishop Chrysostomos has been incapacitated for years. His duties have been delegated to the bishops of Cyprus who form the Holy Synod.
Debate on whether the senile Primate should be replaced has been raging for some time now, but it was only after a pro-elections minority took matters in their own hands last October that a breakthrough occurred.
In order for a new Primate to be ordained, the throne must first be declared vacant. But even though the Church of Cyprus is autocephalous (independent), Orthodox rules state that such decisions must be taken by a Greater Synod comprising at least 13 bishops. Since Cyprus’ top priests number only eight, they will be joined by bishops from the patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem.
However, Bartholomew’s involvement in the matter has been a source of friction between the Patriarchate and the Church of Cyprus since last October. The latest controversy surrounds reports that Bartholomew would like other issues to be discussed at the Greater Synod, for example the charter of the Church of Cyprus.
Due to the fact the complicated manuscript contains so many ambiguities – for instance it does not make it perfectly clear what happens if the Church becomes leaderless – many argue it is high time these uncertainties are sorted out.
These topics have been declared off-limits by those fiercely defensive of the church’s autonomy, including the outspoken Paphos bishop Chrysostomos, the senior cleric on the island.
His views are shared by the majority of the Holy Synod, which earlier this week authorised Chrysostomos to deliver a letter to the Patriarch.
Reportedly, the majority’s position is non-negotiable: at Champezy they will accept no discussion other than the vacating of the Archbishop’s throne. Otherwise, they will not attend.
“But if his Holiness wishes to see us in a brotherly context after the Synod is over, then of course we shall gladly listen to him with love and respect,” Chrysostomos told journalists shortly before departing.
Despite the squabbling, few doubt that the elections will take place. Already most of the candidates for the top job have started electioneering.
This week the Bishop of Kition held what could only be described as an election gathering in Larnaca, where a former senior civil servant waxed lyrical about the cleric’s leadership qualities and spiritual work. The Bishop later took questions from the assembled faithful.
Bizarrely, even though the elections have not been decided, many bishops have been publishing their manifestos, each outlining the reasons why the people should vote for them.
These “informational brochures” have been turning up in mailboxes across the island.
Bishop Chrysostomos’ four-page pamphlet, distributed at kiosks, begins thus:
“I most emphatically state that I have no personal ambition whatsoever…but the events of recent years have caused me to rethink my approach and place myself at the service of the Church and the Cypriot people.”
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