Metropolitan Tychikos submits Confession of Faith to the Synod of Cyprus
In his statement, Metropolitan Tychikos rejected all accusations of supporting schism and reaffirmed his loyalty to the canons of the Church.
Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos (Church of Cyprus) has unexpectedly submitted the required Confession of Faith to the Secretariat of the Holy Synod, once again surprising the Church’s leadership, reports the UOJ's Greek edition, citing its sources.
In the document, the metropolitan reaffirmed what he had professed at his episcopal consecration: the Nicene Creed and faithfulness to the decisions, decrees, and canons of the Ecumenical Councils and the tradition of the Church. He also confirmed that he remains a member of the Orthodox Church.
On the contentious issue of schism, Metropolitan Tychikos referred to the 15th canon of the Double Synod (Constantinople, 861), which, under strict conditions, allows the cessation of commemoration of a bishop who openly preaches heresy. At the same time, he condemned those who, without adhering to canonical conditions, create division in the Body of the Church.
The metropolitan emphasized that he had never supported nor incited the faithful to schism, and cited specific examples of his efforts to resist schismatic movements during his ministry.
The submission of the Confession of Faith came as another unexpected move for the Archbishopric, which had accused Tychikos of refusing to condemn schism and considered him a proponent of schismatic ideas. With this document, Metropolitan Tychikos categorically refuted all allegations and demonstrated his commitment to Church tradition.
This strategic step follows his earlier appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarchate against the Synod’s decision to depose him. Now, after two unexpected moves by Tychikos, his opponents are left without formal claims against him, and the Archbishop has found himself transitioning from prosecutor to one who must now justify the crisis he has provoked.
In parallel, the metropolitan has again demanded that he be provided with all documents related to the proceedings – specifically, the decision on his deposition, the trial protocols, and the complaints filed against him – which the Archbishopric continues to withhold.
According to sources, growing dissatisfaction is evident even among many of the nine hierarchs who signed the decision against Tychikos, questioning Archbishop Georgios’s handling of the situation.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Metropolitan Tychikos had filed an appeal with the Ecumenical Patriarch.
