Archbishop of Cyprus comments on Metropolitan Tychikos’ appeal to civil court
According to the primate of the Church of Cyprus, a cleric’s recourse to a civil court is grounds for applying certain penalties.
On January 7, 2026, Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus, speaking with Cypriot journalists, commented for the first time on Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos’ intention to file a claim in a civil court seeking restoration to his see.
According to Archbishop Georgios, this turn of events is fundamentally new for the Church of Cyprus and could affect both the further course of Metropolitan Tychikos’ case and the work of the Holy Synod as a whole.
Answering journalists’ question about his position ahead of the Synod meeting scheduled for January 8, Archbishop Georgios stated: “We will see tomorrow at the Synod meeting. I do not want to preempt the Synod’s decisions. But turning to the civil courts is indeed a new and serious development. It does not correspond to the Church’s practice.”
At the same time, he noted that the very fact of appealing to secular justice raises “questions” for him, given Metropolitan Tychikos’ level of ecclesiastical experience and knowledge of canon law.
According to the Archbishop, the canons forbid clergy from transferring church disputes to secular courts: “He knows the sacred canons, he knows the Church order. An appeal to a civil court in itself is grounds for applying certain penalties. There are relevant canons which we will examine.”
In the course of the interview, Archbishop Georgios also said that he intends to bring before the Synod the question of possible amendments to the Charter of the Church of Cyprus regarding the election of hierarchs: “Yes, I will raise the issue of beginning a discussion and of a possible change to the Charter. This will begin tomorrow.”
Answering a follow-up question as to whether this could affect the forthcoming election of a new Metropolitan of Paphos, the Archbishop noted: “That will depend on the Synod. I submit proposals. We do not have an absolute monarchy – we have democracy. Whatever gains a majority will prevail.”
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Metropolitan Tychikos would go to court to be restored to the Paphos see.
