Cypriot Church bishop refuses to concelebrate with Primate over Dumenko

Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos. Photo: pafoslive.com.cy

On 11 June 2023, Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos of the Cypriot Orthodox Church refused to attend the joint archpriestly mass in Nicosia due to the commemoration of Dumenko.

For his part, the Primate of the Cypriot Church, Archbishop George, called Metropolitan Tychikos’s attitude "childish", saying that when he accepted his ordination Epiphanios of Kyiv was mentioned.

Archbishop George noted that Metropolitan Tychikos’s viewpoint "unfortunately seems to be developing into a problem within the Cypriot Church". However, he expressed determination to "put an end to this matter".

According to Archbishop George, the vast majority of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus will side with him and "Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos must receive messages from the laymen as well as from all of us, and I am determined to make sure that there is no schism in the Cypriot Church".

Earlier, Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou said that Cypriot hierarchs are unwilling to concelebrate with members of the OCU.

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