Archbishop Georgios Arrives in Paphos Metropolis Following Bishop Tychikos’ Removal

This morning, Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus arrived at the Paphos Metropolis to begin serving as acting vicar after Bishop Tychikos was removed from his post by majority vote of the Holy Synod.

One of the Archbishop’s key responsibilities will be preparing for the election of a new Metropolitan of Paphos. He will also address unresolved property and administrative matters within the Metropolis—issues that, according to him, have not been properly handled in recent years.

The Archbishop is also expected to deal with a number of pending ecclesiastical matters. Among them is a request by the Holy Synod for a written statement from Bishop Tychikos regarding issues of heresy and religious misconduct.

Another issue involves the removal of a depiction of a deceased Greek priest from a chapel in the village of Mesana. The priest passed away about three years ago, but his home Metropolis never proposed him for canonization—a process that typically takes around 20 years. As a result, he is not recognized in the official hagiography of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Representatives from the Patriarchate have confirmed that the wooden image of the late priest, currently displayed and venerated in a Paphos church, will be removed. The faithful are being reminded that the figure is merely a printed image on wood and does not represent an officially recognized saint.

In addition, the Archbishop has begun addressing issues within the Paphos Metropolis’ administrative office. Two members of staff have already been dismissed for refusing to carry out public service duties—primarily related to the issuance of marriage certificates and other official documents.

As a reminder, Bishop Tychikos was removed from his position as Metropolitan of Paphos last week by the Holy Synod. While he no longer holds administrative authority, he retains his title and remains a member of the Synod.