Scandal in the Church of Cyprus: Archbishop and authorities' conspiracy against Metropolitan Tihikos is revealed

A major institutional crisis is unfolding in Cyprus over the exposure of an alleged plot by Archbishop George of Cyprus and former Paphos Mayor Phedonas Phedonos against Metropolitan Tihikos of Paphos. According to information provided by the hierarch’s legal team, the aim of the planned discrediting campaign was to remove the metropolitan from office in order to cover up major financial irregularities and realize political ambitions.

According to UOJ Greece, the situation has escalated from an intra-church dispute to a criminal case. The key evidence was the written testimony of the current acting mayor of Paphos, Angelos Onisiforou. They allege that Archbishop George directly instructed ex-mayor Thedonas Thedonos to publicly smear the reputation of Metropolitan Tihikos by making him look «incompetent» in order to pave the way for his deposition by the Synod in May 2025.

The hierarch’s legal advisor, Irineus Antoniou Yakoumakis, links the attack on the metropolitan to his efforts to improve the metropolis’ finances. In particular, Tychicus was seeking to enforce a court decision to pay the Paphos municipality a debt of 8 million euros for the use of church land. In addition, the hierarch initiated an audit of major contracts with Pafilia, Minthis Hills and the St. George Hotel. It is noteworthy that these agreements were concluded during the period when the current Primate of the Church of Cyprus himself held the chair of the Metropolitan of Paphos.

In addition to financial interests, the case has a political background: the archbishop allegedly promised to support the ambitions of the mayor of Phedonos for the presidency of the Republic in exchange for the neutralization of Metropolitan Tychicus. The defense side declares its intention to seek justice in civil courts, accusing opponents of defamation, abuse of power and an attempt to cover up large-scale financial scandals.

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. A 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.