The Supreme Court of Cyprus has granted former Metropolitan Tikhikos of Paphos permission to challenge the decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople

The Supreme Court of Cyprus has partially granted the appeal filed by former Metropolitan Tikhikos of Paphos, allowing him to challenge in court the decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople regarding his removal from office. However, the court denied the request to extend the deadline for appealing the decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus.

According to Orthodoxia.info, the Supreme Court considered a motion to extend the procedural deadline for appealing the church decisions that led to the former metropolitan’s deposition. The court concluded that, regarding the decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople dated October 17, 2025, the failure to meet the deadline was not due to inaction or fault on the part of Tikhikos himself.

According to the court’s position, a copy of the relevant decision was delivered to the former hierarch only on January 8, 2026, that is, after the expiration of the established deadline for filing a lawsuit. The Supreme Court disagreed with the lower court’s conclusion regarding the applicant’s unjustified passivity and noted that the delay in providing the document constituted a significant obstacle to the timely filing of the complaint.

The court reached a different conclusion regarding the decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus dated May 22, 2025. According to Orthodoxia.info, the Supreme Court ruled that in this case there were no exceptional circumstances that could justify an extension of the appeal period. The court noted that Tichik had been aware of his suspension from the moment the decision was made, and his intention to wait for the outcome of the proceedings at the Patriarchate of Constantinople could not suspend the running of the procedural deadline.

Thus, the appeal was granted only in the part concerning the decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople dated October 17, 2025. The Supreme Court granted the former metropolitan ten days to file a petition for leave to issue a writ of certiorari regarding this decision.