Morphou, Cyprus, January 16, 2026
polignosi.com
His Eminence Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus has issued a stark warning about the year 2026, calling it potentially the most critical turning point in human history.
“We’ve entered a very dangerous year,” the hierarch says in his homily from Sunday, January 11, referencing analyses and prophecies suggesting 2026 could be the year of great conflagration. “It may be the supreme and prophesied year of world war,” he states, as major powers prepare for a final confrontation, reports Pentapostgama.
The Metropolitan speaks openly about the danger of atmospheric contamination from nuclear weapons that world powers are considering deploying. “Since we don’t correct ourselves through peace, we’ll be corrected through a difficult operation,” he says, explaining that God permits such trials due to humanity’s impenitence and sins. He warned that all of creation and humanity will be tested in their faith and patience.
The Metropolitan has connected these looming military and political dangers to what he sees as spiritual failures within the Church itself. In a February 2024 interview, he explained how worldly powers fill the vacuum left by compromised Church leadership:
A serious problem in the Church today is that Synods, primates, and bishops don’t always follow Church guidelines, but often proceed from national interest. The policy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate … proceeds from national criteria. You see, this is a very big problem—the connection between the Orthodox faith and national consensus. The Russians have the same problem, and the Serbs have the same problem.
“And where Church decisions fail to convey the truth of Christ to the people, the Lord humbly provides an opportunity for politicians, the military, and economists to implement their own plans,” he stated.
Met. Neophytos insisted that hierarchs must rise above personal and political interests “and not cooperate with the KGB, the CIA, or the Cypriot Intelligence Service, to be an open person who relies on the Holy Gospel and the canons of the Orthodox Church.”
In response to the threats facing 2026, Met. Neophytos emphasizes the Divine Liturgy as the primary spiritual defense. “It’s full of energies that surround us and enter into us, sanctifying our soul and body,” he notes.
He also criticizes modern dependence on the internet and mobile phones, calling on the faithful to find time for personal prayer and repentance.
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