Istanbul, December 5, 2022
Photo: wikimedia.org
Patriarch Bartholomew and the Patriarchate of Constantinople aren’t involved in the upcoming elections for the next Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus, according to a statement issued by the Patriarchate on Saturday:
The Press and Communication Office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate announces to all interested parties that His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew and the Mother Church of Constantinople are not interfering in any way in the upcoming archepiscopal elections in the Holy Church of Cyprus. Any other assessments, from various “ecclesiastical circles,” that have seen the light of day, are unsubstantiated.
The previous Cypriot primate, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, who served as primate for 16 years, reposed in the Lord on November 7. On Sunday, December 18, the Cypriot faithful will vote for their favorite episcopal candidates. The Holy Synod will then choose the next Archbishop from among the people’s three favorites.
However, according to a recent Synodal decision, this time, only Cypriot citizens will be allowed to vote, which blocks tens of thousands of Ukrainian, Russian, and other parishioners of the Church from participating in the election of their primate.
Metropolitan Vasilios of Constantia, one of the six candidates, recently spoke about how the choice of a primate involves not only ecclesiastical issues, but also geopolitical considerations.
The people’s favorite is His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol, who, despite his personal stance, recently said that the next Archbishop should respect the Synod’s decision regarding the OCU, and that now is not the time to rethink any ecclesiastical issues regarding Ukraine. Recall that Abp. Chrysostomos unilaterally decided to recognize and commemorate the Ukrainian schismatics beginning in October 2020 and the Cypriot Synod voted not to protest his decision the next month.
The next favorite is Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos, who once stood firmly against the recognition of the Ukrainian schismatics, but after a visit to Constantinople in the summer, and, as he says, because of the war in Ukraine, he changed his mind and now stands with Constantinople, and even concelebrated with a schismatic hierarch in Constantinople last week.
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