The Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus voted 10-6 to depose Metropolitan Tychikos from his position as head of the Paphos diocese Thursday, primarily on charges of “apoteichisis” (ecclesiastical separation).
Tychikos, who was barred from voting as the accused party, lost support from key church hierarchs including Archbishop Georgios, who backed the deposition proposal. The metropolitan will retain his bishop status and synod membership but loses his metropolitan throne permanently.
Six bishops supported Tychikos, including Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou and Bishop Pangratius of Arsinoe, along with the Limassol metropolitan’s group comprising four additional hierarchs.
The charges centered on “apoteichisis,” an extreme form of Orthodox separatism where adherents cease commemorating church leaders they consider heretical and break ecclesiastical communion. Church sources said Tychikos also faced criticism for speeches and writings by close associates that the majority deemed he either encouraged or tolerated.
One incident involved a Paphos diocese priest sent to Thessaloniki who reportedly commemorated Tychikos instead of the local bishop during liturgical services, considered a serious breach of church protocol.
The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople was reportedly informed of the proceedings and gave approval, sources said, particularly given the separatism charges. This eliminates Tychikos’s potential appeals to the Patriarchate.
Church Secretary Georgios Christodoulou read a brief statement confirming the synod’s decision. “The Holy Synod decided that the aforementioned hierarch shall remain a bishop of the Church of Cyprus and member of the Holy Synod,” the statement said.
Archbishop Georgios assumes interim administration of the Paphos diocese effective immediately. The deposition opens the electoral process for selecting a new Paphos metropolitan.
Tychikos apologised to the synod and promised behavioral changes, but church sources said the decision had already been finalized following repeated prior warnings from the archbishop.
The Church of Cyprus governs the island’s Orthodox Christian majority through its Holy Synod of metropolitan bishops.
