Cyprus church’s Holy Synod to meet Thursday

The Holy Synod, the highest body of the independent Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus, is to meet on Thursday to discuss the situation in the church, following the prolonged illness of its head, Archbishop Chrysostomos.

Several members of the Synod have already talked to the Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos about the matter, who in turn has extended an invitation to all the members of the Synod for a meeting at the seat of the Patriarchate in Fanari, in Istanbul, on November 10.

The Patriarch has said he expects all members of the Holy Synod to participate in the meeting.

The acting primate of the Church of Cyprus, Bishop Chrysostomos of Paphos, said he explained to the Patriach his positions, saying that the Holy Synod had decided by majority vote not to hold elections for a new Archbishop. He was accompanied by the bishops of Kitium (Larnaca) Chrysostomos and Arsinoes Georgios, all members of the Holy Synod.

Earlier, the Patriarch had heard the views of other high-ranking members of the Holy Synod, including Bishop Nikiphoros of Kykko and the Bishop of Morphou, the only cleric to hold mass in the Turkish-occupied north in the past two years.

The political leadership has called for an end to the difficulties created by the three-year old absence of the Archbishop from his religious duties because of illness, but also recognised the fact that the Church of Cyprus is ‘autocephalous’ and maintains its independence in all matters within the Greek Orthodox family.