Morphou, Güzelyurt District, Cyprus, August 9, 2023
Met. Neophytos (left), Fr. Savvas (right). Photo: YouTube
His Eminence Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, known for his public talks about the many saints he has known and his outspokenness on various hot button issues, seems to have upset at least some bishops and theologians in the Cypriot Church with his veneration of the recently reposed Fr. Savvas (Achilleos †2016).
On August 1, Hellas Journal reported that several hierarchs who had previously abstained from concelebrating with the Cypriot primate, Archbishop Georgios, because he recognizes the Ukrainian schismatics, did finally serve with him in late June (OrthoChristian also reported on this event). The Greek outlet emphasized that Met. Neophytos remains the sole hierarch who refuses to concelebrate with the Archbishop, and also mentioned in the same article that the Archbishop is displeased with the Metropolitan concerning Fr. Savvas:
The Archbishop deemed the decision of Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou regarding the canonization of the Blessed (2016) Archimandrite Savva (Achilleos) from Alona, Cyprus, of whom an icon with a halo was made, as unacceptable. The issue will be dealt with by the Holy Synod, said Abp. Georgios.
It is unclear if the Archbishop is referring to an actual decision to canonize Fr. Savvas or simply the painting of an icon with a halo. Although seen as controversial by some, it is a fairly common practice to paint icons of people who are not yet formally glorified, even with halos.
Met. Neophytos’ icon of Fr. Savvas (Achilleos). Photo: immorfou.org.cy The Metropolis of Morphou posted a response on August 4, saying that the Archbishop’s displeasure with the Metropolitan of Morphou is partly due to his strict Orthodox stance in favor of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and also due to the fact that Fr. Savvas can be seen as a figure who “challenges the establishment.” Fr. Savvas was known as an exorcist and for his talks on prophecies, the end times, and issues such as vaccines.
The Metropolis also points out that while nothing more has been heard from the Archbishop or the Synod on the matter, other theologians have addressed the topic.
One theologian, Theodoros Kyriakou, speaking against the Metropolitan’s icon of Fr. Savvas, was careful to state that, “I’m not saying that Fr. Savvas can’t be a saint.” Instead, he argued that it’s beyond the competency of one hierarch to canonize a saint. Thus, the Metropolis of Morphou writes, the opponents of Met. Neophytos, instead of tackling the issue head on, are casting it as a simple procedural problem, “because they fear they will be exposed, as the holy Savvas has strong popular support in ecclesiastical circles both in Cyprus and even more so in Greece.”
Furthermore, they accuse the Metropolitan of deceit, saying he wants to canonize Fr. Savvas only to bolster his own views about the COVID pandemic and the strict anti-vaccine stance he took. Fr. Savvas is well known for statements back in 2007 about a “manufactured disease” and the danger of the vaccines against it.
Fr. Savvas in repose. Photo: vimaorthodoxias.gr
However, as the Metropolis points out, Met. Neophytos was already talking about the canonization of Fr. Savvas at least as early as August 2019, several months before the pandemic began. “So the correlation … is incorrect and defamatory.”
The lay theologian Kyriakou calls on the Synod to judge Met. Neophytos quickly, which he says it should have already done earlier due to his statements about homosexuality (a criminal investigation was even launched, though the Metropolitan was ultimately cleared of all charges of hate speech). However, the Metropolis points out in its article that Kyriakou himself argues that homosexuality is not a sin.
In an interview in late July, Kyriakou explicitly condemned the Church’s teaching on the matter:
The position of “we love homosexuals, but we condemn homosexuality” is hypocritical and unconvincing. The Church must completely change its pastoral approach towards homosexuals. When the Apostle Paul spoke about “men who have sex with men,” he lived in a different era where homosexuality was considered a choice. Today, even Evangelical churches in the US, which are the most conservative, admit that research has shown that homosexuality is not a person’s choice. By insisting on outdated positions, the Church essentially raises a theological issue, that is, it blames God for some people being born with a different sexual orientation. It’s a dead-end policy that needs to change.
“These are the accusers of the Metropolitan of Morphou,” the Metropolis writes.
Furthermore, the same lay theologian also argues about the veneration of holy relics. “This is pure Protestantism,” the Metropolis responds.
Met. Neophytos was also criticized because the icon of Fr. Savvas that he blessed depicts the devil. However, this was not done arbitrarily, but following the guidance of the holy elder, the Metropolis writes. Moreover, there are famous icons depicting the devil, such as those of St. Marina beating the devil with a hammer:
Photo: russianicons.files.wordpress.com
“But those who talk about this specific image have a deeper problem,” the Metropolis writes. “They may not even believe in the existence of Satan or the Antichrist or the Apocalypse, etc., but they have a more scholastic relationship and give a literary symbolic interpretation to the subject.”
The article then quotes Met. Neophytos’ words from August 3, 2019, on the occasion of the third anniversary of the repose of Fr. Savvas, several months before the coronavirus pandemic began. His Eminence spoke about how he first learned of Fr. Savvas, who was prayerfully performing exorcisms, healing many people. Fr. Savvas was a great ascetic, with many hidden spiritual labors, the Metropolitan says. He continues:
I have a feeling that I experienced similar situations with other saints, like with St. Iakovos (Tsalikis) and St. Paisios. We started with memorials and ended up with icons, festivals, celebrations. It is the leaven of canonization. I have so many books and testimonies about him and information that he is not just among the saved, but is among the saints.
It was not reported when the Cypriot Holy Synod will address this matter.
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