Nicosia, Cyprus, March 31, 2026
Photo: cyprustimes.com
A Cypriot Court of Appeal has unanimously overturned an acquittal issued in favor of His Eminence Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou and ordered a retrial before a different judge of the Nicosia District Court, to be held as soon as possible.
The case concerns events of January 2 and 6, 2021, when, during the period of COVID-19 restrictions, Met. Neophytos urged the faithful at two church services to proceed to the Karkotis River for the Theophany blessing of the waters. Hundreds gathered with him for the blessing. He was issued a fine on the day but refused to pay it.
On April 4, 2023, the Nicosia District Court acquitted him on all charges, ruling that his actions constituted the legally permitted exercise of religious worship, and specifically that his invitation to the faithful to attend the blessing did not amount to incitement to commit a criminal offense by participating in an unlawful public assembly.
The Court of Appeal, accepting the arguments of the Attorney General in their entirety, found that the lower court had erred in characterizing the matter as protected religious practice, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency.
The appellate court noted that Met. Neophytos’ own words during his January 2 address clearly reflected his awareness that the action in question was not permitted and carried a penalty, and that his encouragement for no one to be absent was an evident inducement in the ordinary sense of the word, with no reference to compliance with the applicable laws or decrees.
Given that the case involves matters of public health, the Court of Appeal held that the interests of justice require it to be retried. The case was handled on behalf of the Attorney General by Petros Varnavas, Counsel of the Republic.
This is not the first incident for which Met. Neophytos has faced legal scrutiny in connection with COVID-19 measures. In 2020, police interrupted his Palm Sunday Divine Liturgy, leading to an investigation. However, the Attorney General subsequently determined that he had not violated any quarantine measures by celebrating the service, and no charges were brought.
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