Cyprus Church Synod elects new Metropolitan of Paphos
Archimandrite Gregory Ioannidis received the majority of votes from Synod members.
On May 26, 2026, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus elected a new Metropolitan of Paphos. In a secret ballot, the majority of hierarchs backed Archimandrite Gregory Ioannidis. His enthronement will take place on June 11 at the Cathedral of St. Theodoros in Paphos, UOJ Greece reports.
Archimandrite Gregory received 11 votes from Synod members. His closest rival, Sofronios Stasinos, received one vote, while four participants submitted blank ballots. Four candidates in total were considered for the metropolitan see.
Metropolitan-elect Gregory Ioannidis has extensive academic training in theology and liturgics. He graduated from the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens and continued his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. His scholarly interests include the study of Cyprus’ liturgical tradition and the systematization of the Church’s heritage.
As reported earlier by the UOJ, Metropolitan Tychikos said he intends to appeal to European courts, calling his removal from the Paphos see anti-canonical. In his statement, the hierarch accused the Synod of the Church of Cyprus of bias and of failing to conduct a fair investigation.
