The Supreme Court of Cyprus has finally rejected the appeal of Metropolitan Tihikos of Paphos

The Supreme Court of Cyprus issued a final ruling on the appeal of Metropolitan Tihikos of Paphos, rejecting his petition to overturn the decisions of the Synods of the Church of Cyprus and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which deprived the hierarch of his cathedra.

According to Philenews, the Supreme Court of Cyprus for the second time denied Metropolitan Tychicus of Paphos’ petition. The hierarch had sought an extension of time to apply for special court orders to annul the May 22, 2025 decisions of the Synod of the Church of Cyprus and the October 17, 2025 decision of the Phanar. These decisions declared him deprived of his pulpit.

The Court reasoned that the applicant had timely knowledge of the ecclesiastical decisions, as he had been present at the meetings where they had been announced. Despite this, the Metropolitan did not take the necessary legal steps within the prescribed 45-day period. The argument that he was waiting for the result of the church appeal before appealing to the civil court was also rejected by the court, which emphasized the need to act with «particular haste.»

Metropolitan Tychik’s lawyer had previously said that the Synod’s decisions were devoid of canonical and legal legitimacy from the outset. According to the defense, the bishop was actually suspended without a full church trial, without an indictment and without following the procedures established by the canons. The defense insists that such actions contradict both the Charter of the Church of Cyprus and the basic principles of Church law, and stresses the need to restore the Metropolitan in his rights.

Recall, earlier a group of believers from Paphos (Cyprus) published a sharp public statement in defense of His Eminence Metropolitan Tikhikos, who was removed from the Paphos Diocese last year and later banned from ministry. The authors of the statement accuse the leadership of the Church of Cyprus, in particular Archbishop George, of serious canonical and institutional violations, including unilateral actions to bypass the Holy Synod and an attempt to downgrade the ruling Metropolitan to a subordinate role. The faithful warn of the risk of long-term institutional and spiritual damage to the Church.