Senior clergy leave for meeting with Patriarch

Three senior clergy, members of the Holy Synod, left today for Geneva to participate in a broad meeting, chaired by the head of the Greek Orthodox Church Patriarch Vartholomeos, which will decide whether elections for a new Cyprus archbishop will take place or not.

The two-day meeting, to be attended also by the Patriachs of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, takes place after assurances from Vartholomeos that the autocephalous status of the Church of Cyprus will not be on the agenda.

Another four members of the Holy Synod will leave on Tuesday for Switzerland.

Last week, Pafos bishop Chrysostomos said after meeting Vartholomeos that the only issue of discussion will be whether the post of the archbishop in Cyprus will be declared vacant or not.

The current Cyprus Archbishop Chrysostomos has been incapacitated for the past four years and is unable to perform his duties as the head of the church.

Speaking before departure, the three bishops of Morphou Neofytos, Kykkou Nikiforos and Trimithountos Vasilios said they hope things will run smoothly at the meeting, noting that the issue under discussion is no ordinary matter.

Tomorrow the bishops of Pafos, Kitium, Arsinoe and Kyrenia leave for Switzerland.

The Holy Synod is the highest body of the Church of Cyprus.