The Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus voted 10-6 to depose Metropolitan Tychikos from his position as head of the Paphos diocese on Thursday, primarily on charges of “apoteichisis” (ecclesiastical separation).
Metropolitan 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 will lose 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.
Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos was deposed after three years as Bishop of Church of Cyprus
As Archimandrite, Tychikos Vryonis was elected as the Metropolitan of Paphos on February 23, 2023, by the members of the holy synod and was enthroned on March 12, 2023, at the Holy Cathedral of Saint Theodoros in Paphos.
Metropolitan Tychikos is the 70th Metropolitan of Paphos. The Consecration to the episcopacy was led by His Beatitude Georgios III – Archbishop of New Justiniana and All Cyprus with members of the holy synod.
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.
What is “Apotikisi” accused of by Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos
“Apotikisi” is an act of separation from the hierarchy of the Church, typically on doctrinal grounds. Those who adopt this stance, known as “apotikistes”, often view others in the Church, sometimes even entire hierarchies, as heretical. They present themselves as defenders of the faith, but their uncompromising and confrontational approach is considered extreme and schismatic by the institutional Church. This was the central accusation that led to Tychikos’s removal.