The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew reportedly requested Archbishop George of Cyprus to discipline the deposed Bishop of Paphos Tychikos over his insistence on rebaptising Orthodox Christians.
The dispute centres on Tychikos’s refusal to recognise baptism certificates from other Orthodox churches, demanding rebaptism of individuals already baptised in the name of the Holy Trinity. The practice has created tensions between the Church of Cyprus and other Orthodox jurisdictions, particularly the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
According to the charges, Tychikos “refused to accept certificates of the Holy Sacrament of Chrismation performed and issued by canonical Orthodox Churches, insisting on his position regarding rebaptism, causing problems not only between provinces of the Church of Cyprus, but also between the Church of Cyprus and other local Churches.”
A formal complaint filed on 12 May 2025 by a Cyprus-born university professor based in Chicago highlighted the controversy. The professor, identified as H.P., sought to marry his wife in his home village in Paphos after she converted to Orthodoxy through chrismation in the United States.
The complainant’s wife, previously a member of the United Church of Christ, underwent nine months of catechesis and received chrismation from Father Gregory Stamkopoulos at St Spyridon Church in New York in November 2024. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America confirmed that rebaptism was not required as she had already been baptised in the name of the Holy Trinity.
Despite submitting the required documentation to the Paphos Metropolis, officials demanded rebaptism before granting marriage permission. The professor reported that different church representatives provided conflicting explanations, with one priest claiming Protestant sacraments were invalid.
The incident prompted intervention from both the Metropolis of Chicago and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, who characterised the rebaptism requirement as “baseless” and expressed concern about potential breakdown in ecclesiastical communion.
In a letter to Archbishop George, Patriarch Bartholomew expressed “surprise and displeasure” over the situation, stating: “Being certain in the Phanar that the traditional relations of our sister Churches should continue as heretofore, for the common good, which you and your holy brothers surely also desire, we request that you call the Metropolitan of Paphos to order and forbid him from disturbing the exemplary relations between the ancient Churches of Constantinople and Cyprus.”
Archbishop George informed the Holy Synod that the complaint had exposed the Church of Cyprus to criticism from both the Orthodox Church of America and US state authorities, where the professor had also lodged complaints.
Read more:
