Head of Cyprus Church says his position on the OCU "will serve Orthodoxy"

Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus. Photo: alltogethercy.com

The decision to recognize the OCU will serve Orthodoxy and the Church of Cyprus, said Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus after the liturgy at the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos of Chrysorrogiatissa, during which for the first time he made a liturgical mention of Epiphany Dumenko. This is reported by the Cypriot edition Reporter.

According to the publication, the Primate of the Cypriot Orthodox Church confirmed that the members of the Holy Synod were not informed of his decision to recognize the OCU, and that Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol left the service as a sign of disagreement.

The Archbishop said that his decision "will serve Orthodoxy and the Church of Cyprus." This decision of his, he added, can be interpreted as directed "against certain persons", but he himself "is concerned only about Orthodoxy."

He recalled that last year he warned Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople that he intends to maintain neutrality, offering to “serve Orthodoxy through the Primates of various Autocephalous Churches” and share his opinion with them. According to him, “he knew perfectly well how to solve this issue,” but his health condition prevented him from fully implementing his plans.

“I had to take some position,” the head of the Church of Cyprus added and specified that, in his opinion, his decision would be recognized as the right one by all the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches, except for the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill.

Archbishop Chrysostomos also agrees to hold a meeting of the Synod if any of its members demands it, since he is convinced that the majority of the hierarchs of the Church of Cyprus will support his position on the OCU.

As the UOJ reported, on October 24, 2020, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, for the first time commemorated the name of the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko during the Divine Liturgy. Greek media reported that the Cypriot bishops did not support the “papal decision” of their Primate on the OCU.

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