Synodal Court of the Church of Cyprus Defrocks Cleric of the Metropolis of Paphos

On June 20, 2025, the Synodal Court of the Church of Cyprus announced its final decision to defrock Father Dimos Serkelidis, a cleric of the Metropolis of Paphos. The unanimous decision followed an official session in which the charges were reviewed, arguments from both sides were heard, and the circumstances of the case were assessed. Based on the conclusions of the judicial panel, the priest was found guilty and removed from clerical office. The court’s secretariat emphasized that the decision was made “in accordance with the Divine and Holy Canons of the Orthodox Church and the provisions of the Statutory Charter of the Church of Cyprus.” This was reported by Orthodox Times.

The hearing was held under the presidency of Metropolitan Nektarios of Kition and took place in the Small Synodal Hall of the Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus.

The case against Serkelidis unfolded amid a separate complaint filed by another priest against Archbishop George of Cyprus. In his statement, the priest accused the archbishop of “ecclesiastical crimes” and called for his defrocking while also disputing the legality of his own six-month suspension. According to the priest, the complaint submitted on June 6 was never officially registered, prompting him to ask:
“If everything was done correctly and the Archbishop is innocent, then what is the problem?”

In his video addresses, Father Serkelidis criticized the accusations made against him, particularly the interpretations of the terms “schism,” “heresy,” and “zealotry.” He stated:
“The boundaries of the Church are not defined by the current Holy Synod but by the doctrines and canons. The Church’s borders are not guarded by the army, but the army must protect the Church’s borders.”
Commenting on the situation involving former Metropolitan Tykhikos, the priest expressed concern over the Synod’s decisions:
“After a coup comes an invasion.”

It was previously reported in the media that details of an appeal by Metropolitan Tykhikos of Paphos to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had surfaced, challenging his removal from the episcopal see. The appeal claims that the Synod of the Church of Cyprus violated multiple provisions of its own charter when it dismissed him.