Kythira, Greece, October 27, 2025
Photo: kythera.news
Support for His Eminence Metropolitan Tychikos, the deposed hierarch of Paphos of the Church of Cyprus, continues to grow among both clergy and laity following the recent decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Holy Synod to uphold his removal from the Paphos Metropolis by the Church of Cyprus.
His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythira of the Church of Greece addressed a letter to the hierarch “condemned without the prescribed canonical and legal procedure,” assuring him of his prayers and solidarity. Quoting the Wisdom of Sirach—Strive for the truth unto death, and the Lord God will fight for you—he writes that he prayed for Met. Tychikos “from the heart” during his appeal in Constantinople.
Met. Seraphim has shown himself to be a strong defender of holy Orthodoxy on issues such as the Council in Crete, the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s interference in Ukraine and the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the COVID crisis, and the legalization of gay marriage in Greece.
The Greek hierarch expresses sorrow that although the Patriarchate noted “procedural omissions” in the Cypriot trial, it nevertheless “unanimously ratified the Synodal decision.” “When a case has not been examined lawfully and canonically,” he asks, “how is it possible for it to be judged justly and completely?”
Recalling the unjust trials of saints such as Athanasios the Great, John Chrysostom, and Nektarios of Aegina, Met. Seraphim urges his brother to remain steadfast: “Stand firm, holy brother, like an anvil struck. It is the mark of a great athlete to be beaten and to conquer.” He concludes with the hope that “sooner or later, Heaven will speak.”
A public Declaration of Faith and Support has likewise been issued by Orthodox faithful in Cyprus and abroad. Addressed “to the plenitude of the Most Holy Church of Cyprus,” the letter expresses “great sorrow and deep emotion” over the Metropolitan’s trial and affirms “unwavering spiritual support, firmly grounded in the authentic Patristic Tradition.”
The faithful praise his theological stance regarding the Council of Crete (2016), calling it “a Patristic confession and a call to vigilance.” His objection to calling heterodox groups “Churches,” they write, is “firmly based on the unshakable dogmatic rule of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.”
“In an age of syncretistic Ecumenism,” the declaration states, “the defense of dogmatic precision (akriveia) constitutes a sacred duty for every hierarch.” The letter concludes with an appeal “to surround the tried hierarch with prayer and love.”
Met. Tychikos, who was recently hospitalized in Athens following his stressful ordeal, has thanked the faithful for their prayers and support.
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Read the full letter from Met. Seraphim of Kythira:
To
His Eminence Metropolitan of Paphos,
Mr. Tychikos,
condemned without the prescribed canonical and legal procedure
“Strive for the truth unto death, and the Lord God will fight for you.”
(Wisdom of Sirach)
Your Eminence, Most Reverend and beloved brother,
Bless!
Some days ago, as you were “going up to Jerusalem” (that is, to Constantinople), you sent me a message asking for prayers from my lowliness. From the heart I prayed, I have prayed, and I continue to pray for Your Eminence in your time of trial.
On Friday, October 17, 2025, the day of your appearance before the Patriarchal Holy Synod for the hearing of your appeal, we celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Holy Monastery of the Holy Unmercenaries in Kythira, together with two abbot–pilgrims (one accompanied by his three-member brotherhood), for the success of your cause and the resolution of your ordeal. We had hoped and expected that the Ecumenical Patriarch, together with the Patriarchal Holy Synod around him, having carefully examined your case and, as the Synodal communiqué stated, “having noted procedural omissions in the trial of the case of Metropolitan Tychikos within the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus, in relation to the provisions of its Charter,” would return the case file to the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus for a new review of the matter, with exact observance of the canonical and procedural norms of the Charter of the Church of Cyprus.
For, according to reliable information, these were not simple or insignificant omissions, but a disregard for the procedural order established by the Charter.
We were deeply grieved that although “omissions were noted in relation to the provisions of the Charter of the Church of Cyprus,” nevertheless “the members of the Holy and Sacred Synod, judging on the substance, unanimously ratified the synodal decision of the Most Holy Church of Cyprus.”
From this arises the question: when a case has not been examined lawfully and canonically, and all its aspects have not been illuminated, how is it possible for it to be judged justly and completely, on the basis of truth and justice, and “on the substance”? And can such a decision, taken in this way, contribute to the peace of God’s people and to the unity of the Christ-bearing flock of the Church?
Your Eminence, holy brother,
In our 20 centuries and more of ecclesiastical history, we have had unjust trials. By way of example, we mention:
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The unjust trial and condemnation of our Savior Jesus Christ.
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The unjust trials and condemnations of Saint Athanasios the Great (who was exiled five times, for a total of 16 years).
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The unjust trial, condemnation, and exile of Saint John Chrysostom.
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The condemnation and thirty-year exile without trial of Saint Nektarios, Bishop of Pentapolis, the grace-filled.
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The condemnation and deposition of three ever-memorable Metropolitans of the Church of Cyprus under Archbishop Makarios — Gennadios of Paphos, Anthimos of Kition, and Kyprianos of Kyrenia.
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The condemnation without trial or defense of twelve Metropolitans of the Church of Greece in 1974, nine days before the Turkish invasion of our Cyprus.
Your Eminence,
Remaining steadfast “in the Holy and Immaculate Faith of pious and Orthodox Christians,” in the Tradition of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, and in the Divine and Holy Canons of Orthodoxy — and reaffirming the content of the Confession of Faith which we gave at our ordination to the episcopate — I recall the words: “Wait for the Lord; be courageous, and let your heart be strong, and wait for the Lord” (Prophet-King David).
I pray from my heart that the All-Holy Spirit may illumine the “mind, soul, and heart” of the brother bishops of the Church of Cyprus and that they may cast a “humane vote.”
But if the All-Holy God permits a trial similar to those mentioned above, be assured that “sooner or later, Heaven will speak,” as the contemporary, much-suffering Saint of our Church, Metropolitan Kallinikos of Edessa, Pella, and Almopia (August 1984), used to say — meaning that the Lord Himself will vindicate you.
“Stand firm, holy brother, like an anvil struck. It is the mark of a great athlete to be beaten and to conquer.”
(St. Ignatius the God-bearer to St. Polycarp of Smyrna)
Your brother in Christ,
+ Seraphim, Metropolitan of Kythira and Antikythira
***
Read the full letter from Orthodox laity:
PUBLIC LETTER–DECLARATION OF FAITH AND SUPPORT
To: The Plenitude of the Most Holy Church of Cyprus—clergy and laity
Through: The Most Reverend Metropolitan of Paphos (retired), His Eminence Tychikos
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life (Jas. 1:12).
Brothers in the Lord and Faithful,
With great sorrow and deep emotion concerning the crisis that has befallen the venerable person of His Eminence, the former Metropolitan of Paphos, Tychikos, we feel spiritually compelled to express publicly our confession of faith and our unwavering spiritual support, firmly grounded in the authentic Patristic Tradition.
As Orthodox believers, we are reminded of the words of Saint John Chrysostom:
“Nothing draws one to virtue so much as patience in tribulation.”
The Present Crisis and the Theological Confession Regarding the Council of Crete
The present crisis, according to St. Maximus the Confessor, must give birth within us to a spirit of humility and long-suffering, for only in this way are we able to imitate the compassion of the Lord.
We must publicly emphasize that the theological stance of His Eminence Tychikos on matters of ecclesiological precision—especially regarding the documents of the Council of Crete (2016)—constitutes a Patristic confession and a call to vigilance.
His objection to the use of the term “Church” for the heterodox communities is firmly based on the unshakable dogmatic rule of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Such a position is a continuation of the blessed tradition of the Confessors, such as St. Mark of Ephesus, who refused to compromise at the Council of Florence, preserving the purity of the faith.
In Defense of Ecclesiastical Truth
In an age of syncretistic Ecumenism, the defense of dogmatic precision (akriveia) against leniency (economia) constitutes a sacred duty for every hierarch and serves as a shining example of resistance to the corruption of thought.
We call upon the fullness of the Church to surround the tried hierarch with prayer and love.
The ecclesiastical crisis, according to St. Paisios the Athonite, teaches humility and true love.
Most Reverend Father, we, as faithful members of the Church, see in you a struggler, and we pray that the Lord strengthen you in your further ministry, which—even without external administration—remains a source of Patristic teaching and spiritual witness.
In the spirit of Orthodox confession,
Orthodox Faithful
Chrysovalantis Mpetsios
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