The Death of Archbishop Chrysostomos and the Ukrainian Schism

Will the position of the Cypriot Church on the OCU change after the death of Archbishop Chrysostomos? Photo: UOJ

On November 7, 2022, Archbishop Chrysostomos, Primate of the Church of Cyprus, died. The country has declared six days of mourning. Condolences are sent from the Local Churches to Cyprus. Well, the death of the primate of the Church is always a significant event. It is all the more significant in this case given that the Cypriot archbishop is one of the heads of the four "Greek" Churches to have recognized the OCU. This fact is laid a special emphasis on here and on the Phanar. The head of the Archdiocese in the United States, Elpidophoros, said that Archbishop Chrysostomos was "a bold champion of Orthodox unity and a staunch defender of the OCU." It is hardly possible to agree with the first part of this statement – the Cypriot primate rather defended the interests of "Greek" unity in Orthodoxy. The same applies to the “protection” of the OCU. It's no secret that the late hierarch supported Dumenko because of the insistent requests of Patriarch Bartholomew. And now everyone has only one question – how will the Cypriot Church treat the OCU now?

How it all began

The recognition by the Patriarchate of Constantinople of Filaret Denisenko and Makariy Maletich, together with their followers (i.e. the UOC-KP and the UAOC), plunged the entire Orthodox world without exception into a state of shock. Indeed, until recently, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, as well as the primates of all the other Local Churches, in every possible way dissociated themselves from the Ukrainian schismatics and declared their lack of grace. But suddenly, without any repentance, and even without an appeal trial (which was mentioned in the corresponding decision of the Phanar), the schismatics were accepted into communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

At first, Archbishop Chrysostomos’ stance on the issue of recognition of the OCU was clearly negative. Immediately after receiving the Tomos, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced that the Cypriot primate was allegedly ready to support the OCU and recognize its head, Epifaniy Dumenko. Archbishop Chrysostomos had to refute the words of Ukrainian diplomats twice. He stated that he had indeed been offered to receive S. Dumenko in Cyprus, but he rejected this offer, saying, “I have not commemorated Epifaniy at the Divine Liturgy and will not commemorate.”

On February 18, 2019, under the chairmanship of Archbishop Chrysostomos, a meeting of the Synod of the Cypriot Church was held, which adopted the following statement: “The two-thousand-year experience of the Cypriot Church, and of the entire Orthodox Church as a whole, gives us reason to doubt the possibility of legitimizing 'with hindsight' those consecrations that were committed by banned, excommunicated and anathematized bishops. The ban, excommunication and anathema of individuals who initiated the Ukrainian crisis have been recognized by all Orthodox.” Consequently, at that time, Archbishop Chrysostomos categorically did not consider Sergei Dumenko a bishop.

“The experience of the Cypriot and the entire Orthodox Church gives us reason to doubt the possibility of legitimizing “with hindsight” consecrations performed by banned, excommunicated and anathematized bishops.”

Statement of the Synod of the Church of Cyprus on the OCU, February 2019

In April 2019, Archbishop Chrysostomos tried to launch a peacekeeping mission and take the initiative to reconcile the Local Churches that broke communion after the creation of the OCU. To do this, he met with the heads of the Alexandrian, Antioch and Jerusalem Churches. Following the meeting, a statement was adopted in which the primates called on the parties in Ukraine to work on "protecting believers, as well as sacred temples and monasteries, from seizures and any violent actions." These words were spoken at a time when schismatics in Ukraine had already seized hundreds of shrines of the UOC, which in many cases was accompanied by violence.

In May 2019, Archbishop Chrysostomos held a similar meeting with the primates of the Serbian, Bulgarian and Greek Churches, after which he stated that he did not accept the position of either the Phanar (i.e. does not recognize the OCU) or the ROC and added that if one takes the side of the ROC or Phanar, then "there will be a split in Orthodoxy with mathematical precision."

In September 2019, Archbishop Chrysostomos already made a somewhat ambiguous statement: “As the Church of Cyprus, we do not claim to recognize the OCU, but we also do not say that we do not recognize it. We want to have good relations with everyone." Someone may see in it a hint of the possibility of recognition of the OCU, and someone, on the contrary, a refusal to recognize it. But the following month, October 2019, during a meeting with the chairman of the Russian Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, Sergei Stepashin, the head of the Cypriot Church said about the recognition of the OCU: “I do not change my position” and added that he was put under pressure in the matter of recognizing the OCU. Very soon, however, the shift in the rhetoric of Archbishop Chrysostom testified to the fact that he began to gradually succumb to this pressure.

Already in December 2019, the Cypriot primate moved away from the position of “having good relations with everyone” and stated that he condemned the position of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, accusing him of trying to take the first place in Orthodoxy: “I told him that he would not be the first: ‘Seventeen past centuries secured the first place in the Orthodox world for Constantinople. End of story. Don't be fooled. Understand that’". Soon the head of the Cypriot Church ignored the invitation of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem to a meeting of primates and hierarchs of the Churches in Amman, dedicated to the Ukrainian issue, for which he received personal gratitude from the head of the Phanar. A few months later, namely in March 2020, Archbishop Chrysostomos took part in a meeting of the Synod of the Church of Constantinople and stated that it was “not a problem” for him to recognize Epifaniy. Quote: “The problem of Orthodoxy for me personally and I believe for Patriarch Bartholomew too is not whether I recognize the primate of the Ukrainian Church. It doesn't make any sense to me. I could have recognized him yesterday, today and tomorrow. There is no problem for me in this respect.”

Recognition of the OCU

The pressure of the Phanar on the Local Churches on the issue of recognition of the OCU continued, and by the fall of 2020 it was no longer possible for Archbishop Chrysostomos to take an uncertain position. At a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Cypriot Church on September 9, 2020, he raised the issue of commemorating Sergei Dumenko. Almost all the bishops spoke out against it, and Archbishop Chrysostomos promised that he would not commemorate S. Dumenko, since the Holy Synod does not support it. However, he did exactly the opposite. On October 24, 2020, he commemorated the name of the head of the OCU for the first time during the service.

Archbishop Chrysostomos promised the Synod not to commemorate Dumenko, but acted differently.

This immediately caused a scandal within the Cypriot Church. Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol, who was present, later told the Romfea news agency that he “did not believe his ears” when he heard the name of the head of the Ukrainian schismatics. After that he immediately left the temple, without waiting for the end of the service "in protest against the sole decision" of Archbishop Chrysostomos. On the same day, October 24, 2020, four bishops of the Cypriot Church, namely: Metropolitan Nikiforos of Kykkos, Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol, Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos and Metropolitan Nikolaos of Amafunda appealed to Archbishop Chrysostomos with a demand to immediately cancel the anti-canonical and invalid decision to include the name of Sergei (Epifaniy) Dumenko in the Diptych of the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches. They stated that they insist on their original position, according to which "the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarch to grant ‘autocephaly’ to the schismatic structures of the Ukrainian Church is arbitrary, anti-canonical and anti-ecclesiastical."

On November 10, 2020, the Greek resource Philenews circulated a statement by Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos and Orinia, in which he announced that the members of the Holy Synod of the Cypriot Church quit their concelebrations with Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus and would not meet with him until the Synod made a decision on the issue recognition of the OCU. “I also cannot concelebrate with Epifaniy or his attendants or allow them to administer the Holy Mysteries to the faithful. I cannot allow them to enter my metropolis,” said Metropolitan Isaiah.

Thus, the Cypriot Church was on the verge of a real schism. To a certain extent, it was avoided by adopting a decision of the Holy Synod with a very remarkable wording. On November 25, 2020, the members of the Holy Synod of the Cypriot Orthodox Church “discussed in detail the Ukrainian ecclesiastical issue and the problem that arose due to the commemoration by Archbishop Chrysostomos of Epifaniy as the Primate of the Church of Ukraine.” By 10 votes against 7, the Synod decided that it “does not object to the decision of his Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos.”

In other words, the Synod did not decide to recognize the OCU (such a question was not raised at all), but simply agreed that Archbishop Chrysostomos would commemorate S. Dumenko. At the same time, Archbishop Chrysostomos secured one vote in the Synod in support of his decision by consecrating another bishop on the very day when he first commemorated S. Dumenko. Bishop Pankratios of Arsinois became a new hierarch. An interesting historical nuance: the diocese of Arsinois has been inactive since 1260, i.e. it did not actually exist. In 1996, Archbishop Chrysostomos, then the Metropolitan of Paphos, succeeded in re-establishing the see. The goal is to increase the number of Cypriot bishops so that the Cypriot Church has a full-fledged Synod (at least 13 bishops).

Prospects for relations between the Cypriot Church and the UOC

The Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Onufry, expressed condolences to the members of the Holy Synod of the Cypriot Church, the clergy and believers in connection with the death of the archbishop. This is precisely a Christian, rather than a political step, since the Cypriots have suffered a loss and need consolation. Condolences also came from other Churches. However, the mourning will pass, and the Church will have to choose a new primate. In the context of the "Ukrainian issue», it is very important which of the bishops will take this post. As mentioned above, there is no conciliar decision of the Cypriot Church to recognize the OCU; there is only agreement with the commemoration of Epifaniy Dumenko by Archbishop Chrysostomos, now deceased. Approximately half of the bishops are not ready to recognize him as a person with holy orders and to serve with him. Perhaps, with the departure of Archbishop Chrysostomos to another world, the Cypriot Church will return to its position of neutrality, i.e. refusal both from recognition of the OCU and from the opposite decision.

Obviously, the ROC counts on this and does not exclude “ice-breaking” in relations with the Cypriot Church (now Eucharistic communion between them is broken). Adviser to the Patriarch (and earlier Deputy Head of the DECR MP), Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, stated that "the new situation in relations between the Cypriot Church and the Moscow Patriarchate may be actualized as a result of the upcoming elections of a new primate." The most likely candidate for the presidency is Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos. Until recently, he defended the positions of the canonical Church in Ukraine and did not recognize the "episcopal dignity" of Sergei Dumenko and his subordinates. Have his views now been preserved?

In August 2022, the Metropolitan visited Patriarch Bartholomew on the Phanar, where, according to him, he was provided with “a brilliant scientific study on the canonical origin of the Ukrainian bishops, who were recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.” Here is another quote about his impressions of the trip to the Phanar: “We were really impressed by his open heart and kindness (Patriarch Bartholomew’s – Ed.). With great patience, both he and his assistants, who are experts in this matter, explained to us in detail the position of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on this issue. They gave us several answers, through legal and historical treatises, which we will study very carefully. <...> We believe that this study will clarify and shed a lot of light on this thorny issue, which was the main reason for our reservations, as well as the reservations of many other bishops in Orthodoxy.”

Do these phrases mean a change in the position of Metropolitan Isaiah, or is it the famous Greek church diplomacy? For now, this question remains open.

However, if the Metropolitan of Tamassos or another bishop becomes the new primate, disagreements in the Cypriot Church regarding the recognition of the OCU will linger. And it is not only about the “Dumenkovites”.

Everyone understands perfectly well that the decision on the OCU was made by the Cypriots out of a desire to please Patriarch Bartholomew and support the “Hellenic spirit” in Orthodoxy. However, having submitted to the Phanar in such a clearly non-canonical recognition of "consecrations", one will have to submit to other issues as well. Actually, the fusion of the Phanar and the Vatican looms on the horizon. Both sides openly talk about this, and the most probable date for the establishment of communion is slated for 2025, the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. A question will arise then that will divide more than one Local Church: to enter into communion with the Catholics with all their heresies or to refuse obedience to the Phanar. And it will be much more difficult for the Cypriot bishops, who have now recognized the OCU, to refuse the issue of connection with the Vatican. Do they understand it? Probably, yes, or rather, time will tell.

Assumedly, the issue of the recognition of Catholics will be the main cause of division of Orthodoxy, while the recognition of the OCU is only a touchstone.

***

The death of any person is of great importance, because it draws a line under his life and presents this life to the Judgment of God. All the more significant is the death of such people as bishops, primates of the Local Churches, since they are a role model for their flock. Their deeds and actions inevitably affect the destiny of people and their worldview. The Apostle James writes: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1), i.e. will face a more severe judgment. Only God will pronounce the final judgment on the newly deceased Archbishop Chrysostomos, as well as on each of us. Our concern is to pray for the repose of his soul, for the forgiveness of all his sins and for his dwelling in the place of the righteous. The fact that he contributed to the oppression of the UOC only makes our prayers more intelligible to Heaven.

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