The faithful of Cyprus sent an open letter to Archbishop George in defense of Metropolitan Tikhikos

The flock of the Paphos Metropolis has made an official appeal to the head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church to stop the pressure on Metropolitan Tihikos and ensure canonical justice against him. The faithful expressed deep concern that the administrative persecution of the hierarch could lead to a serious church split.

According to the SPJ publication in Greece, the letter sent to Archbishop George stresses that the Church is first and foremost «the living Body of Christ» and not a bureaucratic organization. The authors of the appeal state that there is a purposeful campaign to discredit Vladyka Tikhik, which includes public humiliation, suspension from ministry and threats of final expulsion from the dignity.

The text of the document draws historical parallels with the fates of Athanasius the Great and John Chrysostom, who were also subjected to unjust persecution by the then church administration. The flock insists on the necessity of strict observance of the 6th rule of the Second Ecumenical Council and the 15th rule of the Twofold Council, which guarantee the transparency of proceedings and protect the rights of bishops from administrative arbitrariness.

The faithful characterize Metropolitan Tychicus as a devoted spiritual father whose ministry has united thousands of people in the region. At the end of the letter, the authors summarize that «the love of the people for their bishop can not be imposed or canceled by decrees,» calling on the leadership of the Church of Cyprus to dialogue in order to avoid deep divisions among the faithful. Earlier it became known that the Constantinople Patriarchate rejected the appeal of the metropolitan in this case.

Recall, earlier we reported that the process of preparation for the election of the new head of the Paphos Metropolitanate of the Cypriot Orthodox Church will begin after the end of the Easter holidays. The key condition for the announcement of the official date of the vote is the finalization of the updated Statute of the Church and its subsequent approval by the Holy Synod.