Priests urged to break away from the Church of Cyprus

A member of the Holy Synod on Tuesday confirmed the previously reported existence of a letter circulated to priests urging them to abandon the Church of Cyprus and found a new church. Archimandrite Georgios Christodoulou told media that though the matter of the letter was not on the agenda during Tuesday’s special session of the Holy Synod, it would be addressed at a later stage, “before it gets out of hand”. According to Phileleftheros, the letter – which effectively advocates for a mutiny – is signed by five individuals. The missive has been circulated to all Paphos-based clerics, as well as to a number of priests in other districts. The letter’s authors are thought to be proponents of what is known as ‘apoteichisis’ – from the Greek word literally meaning “walling off”. It is a practice in Eastern Orthodox Christian theology where a member or cleric of the Church ceases ecclesiastical communion and liturgical commemoration of their ruling bishop or patriarch. The action is taken when church leaders are deemed by the adherents to be preaching heresy or straying from Orthodox dogma. Proponents view it not as leaving the Church or forming a new schism, but as erecting a “protective wall” between themselves and a compromised clergyman to preserve the true faith. Behind the move are thought to be supporters of former Paphos bishop Tychikos, deposed from his role in May 2025 after he was charged with various breaches of church protocol, including showcasing an icon of a saint not canonised by the church. Tychikos subsequently appealed against his dismissal at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, but was unsuccessful in his appeal. Then in January this year, the Holy Synod voted to suspend him indefinitely from priestly duties following his decision to pursue legal action through the civil courts. Tychikos had been summoned to Tuesday’s session of the Holy Synod, but did not show up. Instead, he sent a letter requesting a face-to-face meeting with the archbishop. The archbishop accepted. Earlier, the Holy Synod had asked the rebel priest to sign a declaration of loyalty to the decisions of the Ecumenical Synod, to declare obedience to the decisions of the Holy Synod, and to renounce those adhering to the practice of ‘apoteichisis’. He complied with none of these requests. In other business on Tuesday, the Holy Synod condemned the recent deadly attack at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan, where masked men fired on the crowd, killing nine people and injuring dozens more.