Church of Cyprus set to revive Apostle Paul relic transfer to Paphos

Local churchPaphosreligionTop Newsvatican Church of Cyprus set to revive Apostle Paul relic transfer to Paphos Archbishop George Relevant News Father, son and daughter detained over 122 abuse charges as police seek missing siblings 3 July 2026 Mea Culpa (*) 3 July 2026 Church of Cyprus set to revive Apostle Paul relic transfer to Paphos 3 July 2026 Vassos Vassiliou 3 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The process of bringing the relic of the Apostle Paul to Paphos, is set to resume this October, after being halted by suspended Metropolitan Tychikos. The path is expected to reopen with Archbishop of Cyprus Georgios’s upcoming visit to the Vatican. The Archbishop will be accompanied by the new Metropolitan of Paphos, Grigorios, who is familiar with the Vatican, having completed postgraduate studies at the Pontificio Istituto Orientale in Rome, specialising in Eastern ecclesiastical sciences. Grigorios has succeeded Archbishop Georgios in dialogues with other churches. The transfer of the Apostle Paul’s relic to Cyprus was one of the points of friction between Archbishop Georgios and Tychikos. Paphos was chosen as the destination because the Apostle Paul preached there for the first time. The process was originally set in motion by the late Archbishop Chrysostomos II, with the consent of his predecessor as Metropolitan of Paphos, Georgios, who is now Archbishop. Tychikos’s refusal to receive the relic, on the grounds that the Pope was a heretic, caused a rupture in his relationship with Archbishop Georgios, who decided to bypass him and receive the relic himself, though events overtook those plans. Commenting on Tychikos’s reaction in remarks to Phileleftheros, the Archbishop said the relic of the Apostle Paul had never previously left the Vatican. He said the idea had been that Paphos, as the place where the Apostle Paul preached, would make it a global event for the Apostle to return to where he preached. He explained that Pope Francis, due to his personality, his friendship with the late Archbishop, and an appeal made personally by Georgios when he was Metropolitan of Paphos, had agreed to the relic’s transfer. According to the Archbishop’s account, Georgios then ascended to the archiepiscopal throne, while Tychikos, who succeeded him as Metropolitan of Paphos, refused to allow the relic’s transfer to Paphos, and the matter was shelved. It resurfaced after Phileleftheros put the question to the head of the Church of Cyprus, who broke his silence and opened a rift with his then-successor at the Metropolis of Paphos. Pressed by Phileleftheros on why Tychikos was refusing to receive the relic, the Archbishop said the refusal stemmed from the then-Metropolitan of Paphos’s view that the Pope was a heretic. He said the Pope would not have been coming to Paphos, but the relic of the Apostle Paul, adding that the Metropolitan of Paphos had nonetheless insisted, and that under such conditions no agreement could be reached. Asked whether it had been clear that the Pope would not personally accompany the relic, the Archbishop said this had been entirely clear. He said that if the Pope visited Cyprus, he would still receive him in Paphos, at the spot where the Apostle preached. Read more: Archbishop to visit Vatican for relic transfer, sidestepping local bishop Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Father, son and daughter detained over 122 abuse charges as police seek missing siblings Mea Culpa (*) Nicosia residents oppose plan for migrant minors’ housing centre Karpasia donkeys to be microchipped and rehoused under new plan Explainer: US-Iran war still trails the 1979 oil shock by total losses NATO leaders including Trump to affirm ‘ironclad commitment’ to collective defence in Ankara, summit text says bbf: presents :eden coast — The Art of Living by the Mediterranean Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.