Archbishop accepts Patriarchate’s decision on former Paphos bishop
Archbishop Georgios on Sunday said that the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s decision regarding former Paphos Bishop Tychikos is accepted by the Church of Cyprus, expressing hope that Tychikos will sign the profession of faith and formally renounce the separatists.
Speaking after the Divine Liturgy at the Panagia Faneromeni Church in Larnaca, the Archbishop said that since the Ecumenical Patriarchate functions as the highest ecclesiastical court, “whatever decision it reached would be accepted by us.”
“It is now up to the former Bishop of Paphos whether he will sign the document we have requested — a declaration of faith in the Ecumenical Councils and the Holy and Great Council of Crete — and if he formally renounces the separatists in writing, then he will be accepted, not in Paphos, but as we proposed, at the Archbishopric,” Georgios said. He added that Tychikos would then receive an honorary title and new duties within the church.
Regarding the procedure for electing a new Bishop of Paphos, the Archbishop said that it “depends on how quickly the former Bishop responds by signing the document,” after which the Holy Synod will convene to move the process forward.
Asked about the elections being held in the north, the Archbishop described them as “illegal” and “of no significance to us.”
“It makes no difference to us who the settlers choose or elect,” he said. “The number of registered voters does not correspond to the number of Turkish Cypriots, which means others are voting. Turkey has a fixed goal for Cyprus that does not depend on which individuals it appoints to serve that goal.”
He added that “whoever is elected is irrelevant. What we must do is intensify our efforts to free our country.”
Commenting on the expected diplomatic activity on the Cyprus issue before the end of the year, following statements by the UN Secretary-General, the Archbishop stressed that “we must remain firm on the principles of the United Nations and seek a solution that allows Hellenism to continue living in this land.”
“If the solutions being discussed are based on Turkish terms, which sooner or later would lead to our displacement from this place, we must reject them now,” he said. “We must remain steadfast in asserting that we are the indigenous people of this land, we have rights, and we must claim them — so that Cyprus can be freed from occupation and all its legitimate inhabitants, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike, can live here peacefully.”