Greek media: The head of the Church of Cyprus is pressuring the head of the Phanar to change his position on the Ukrainian issue

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Archbishop George, is blackmailing Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople by threatening to change his position on the Ukrainian church issue. If the head of the Phanar helps to restore the rights of the deposed Metropolitan Tikhikos of Paphos, Archbishop George threatens to refuse to recognize the OCU and to begin commemorating His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry during divine services. This was stated on the YouTube channel Άγιος Λουκάς ο Ιατρός by Evangelos Papanikolaou, a presbyter close to the Synod of the Church of Cyprus.

“Unfortunately, Archbishop George not only failed to realize that all this behavior irrevocably discredits him, but also exalts the slandered bishop Tikhikos in the eyes of the faithful, but also resorts to absolutely unworthy and immoral blackmail even in relation to the Ecumenical Patriarch: “Bartholomew, either you do as I want and punish Tikhikos, or I will stop commemorating Epiphany as Primate of Ukraine and will commemorate Onuphrius!”, – Papanikolaou said.

Earlier, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, His Beatitude Archbishop George, announced that the fate of the deposed Metropolitan of Paphos, Tikhikos, would be decided at the Phanar. The bishop was forbidden to perform divine services, and his seat was transferred to another hierarch. However, the final decision will be made only at the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.