Kykkos, Cyprus, December 1, 2020
His Eminence Metropolitan Nikiforos of Kykkos of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus will continue to commemorate Archbishop Chrysostomos out of economia, despite the latter’s decision to commemorate the schismatic Epiphany Dumenko, as long as the Archbishop does not actually concelebrate with the schismatics.
Moreover, the Metropolitan is not afraid of the Archbishop’s threat to defrock those bishops who will not serve with him, as he must remain loyal to his hierarchical conscience, Met. Nikiforos explained on Cypriot television yesterday, report Orthodoxia.info and Romfea.
While Patriarch Bartholomew is very concerned about Churches and hierarchs not recognizing his privileges as Patriarch of Constantinople, Met. Nikiforos emphasized that he loves and honors the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “The heart of Orthodoxy beats there in Istanbul,” he said.
He also stressed that Constantinople has the right to grant autocephaly, but on the conditions that the other Local Churches give their consent. Recall that Constantinople not only acted unilaterally in creating the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” and granting it autocephaly, but specifically against the pleas of the other Local Churches.
And the Patriarch of Constantinople does have primacy, but a primacy of honor, not authority, Met. Nikiforos emphasized.
Met. Nikiforos spent more than a year researching and writing a book about the Ukrainian crisis and its surrounding issues from the point of view of the sacred canons and Church Tradition. Thus, he is the Cypriot hierarch most familiar with the issues involved and most qualified to speak on the matter.
He and the other Cypriot hierarchs who are actively resisting the Archbishop’s lawlessness have been accused of not loving the Greek nation and of being acting in favor of Russian interests, for Russian money.
“This is absurd,” the hierarch of Kykkos said. “There is only anxiety not to create a schism in the Church.” The accusations are for him, as an abbot and metropolitan, insulting, he said. Not even a single icon has been received from Russia, he emphasized. The Archbishop mentioned in one interview that he received 3 million euros to build a church. “So is he with the Russians?” Met. Nikiforos asked rhetorically.
“We don’t have to give credentials of our Greekness to anyone. We are not only Greeks, we are also philhellenes,” he said in response to the accusation that anyone who doesn’t recognize the Ukrainian schismatic Epiphany Dumenko is anti-Greek.
And regarding the Archbishop’s accusations that the four hierarchs who spoke out are acting selfishly, Met. Nikiforos replied: “I don’t get it. What selfishness is there to satisfy? To become metropolitans in Russia, or somewhere else?”
“This is terribly painful for the Church of Cyprus,” he said. “It’s a potential schism. Those who are blind don’t see it.”
However, Met. Nikiforos emphasized that he will continue to commemorate Abp. Chrysostomos out of economia, to help prevent a schism in the Church. But if the Archbishop actually concelebrates with Epiphany Dumenko, then the schism will move from potential to actual, the Metropolitan believes.
Earlier, the Archbishop threatened Met. Nikiforos and the other hierarchs that they will be defrocked if they don’t concelebrate with him. However, “He cannot threaten us,” the Metropolitan said. And if he does remove them, “it will be a crown of glory on our heads.”
Met. Nikiforos also recalled that for 9 years, Abp. Chrysostomos and Metropolitan George of Paphos refused to concelebrate with His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol. “So why so strict now?” the Metropolitan of Kykkos asked.
He also added that he doesn’t believe the Archbishop really means his threats. “He’s not a bad person, we who know him better,” he said.
The hierarch of Kykkos also again emphasized that the decision of the Synod is not binding, because he cannot be forced to violate matters of faith and his hierarchical conscience. “The ontological essence of the Mystery of the priesthood is affected,” Met. Nikiforos said, referring to the fact that Epiphany Dumenko and other OCU representatives are not ordained Orthodox clerics. He spoke of an “ontological infection” of the episcopal body on a pan-Orthodox level, given that the OCU has absolutely no apostolic succession.
Moreover, it was the Archbishop who ignored the unanimous Synodal decision of February 2019, he emphasized.
It is hard to understand why Pat. Bartholomew would behave this way, Met. Nikiforos said, adding that there are those who believe it is revenge for the Russian Church not attending the Council of Crete in 2016. This theory has been voiced by Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware), who is himself a hierarch of Constantinople.
Met. Nikiforos also noted that between the Monday and Wednesday sessions of the Holy Synod last week, Metropolitan Barnabas of Trimithias switched his vote to back the Archbishop. “He did not act on the basis of his hierarchical conscience,” Met. Nikiforos said.
Earlier, one member of the Cypriot Synod revealed that the Archbishop refused to allow a secret ballot, which would have allowed all members to vote their conscience, without pressure.
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