2022 Cypriot archiepiscopal election
The 2022 Cypriot Archiepiscopal elections will be held on December 18, 2022[1][2] to elect the new Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus following the death of the previous Archbishop, Chrysostomos II.
Background and proceedings
Chrysostomos II died on November 7, 2022 from intestinal cancer at the age of 81.[3] A six-day national mourning is proclaimed in Cyprus after the death of the hierarch.[4] He was buried on November 12, 2022 in the Cathedral of the Apostle Barnabas in Nicosia, where the Archbishops of Cyprus are buried.[5] The ceremony was presided by George of Paphos and participated, among others, the President of Cyprus, Bartholomew I, the Patriarch of Alexandria, the Archbishop of Greece and the President of Greece.[5]
The Church of Cyprus is one of the last Orthodox Churches to practice the apostolic process of episcopal election.[6] The procedure (previously reserved for a college of grand electors, theologians, priests and bishops) was democratized during the establishment of the new Charter of the Church of Cyprus by Chrysostomos II, which opened the vote to universal suffrage.[7]
Orthodox faithful of all nationalities residing on the island of Cyprus for more than a year and registered on the electoral lists of the Holy Synod elect representatives of the clergy so that they may have a chance to become the next archbishop of Cyprus, the highest Orthodox authority of the Church of Cyprus.[7][8]
Those are eligible are all archpriests of the Church of Cyprus or priests and deacons who have : a degree in theology from a recognized Orthodox school, ten years of ministry and completed thirty-five years of age.[7][8]
The three candidates with the best results in universal suffrage then enter a triumvirate. The second part of the election then takes place behind closed doors by the Holy Synod. At the end of this vote, which decides between the three elected, the candidate who received the majority of the votes of the Holy Synod becomes Archbishop of Cyprus and is enthroned within fifteen days of the decision.[7][8] Generally, two of the three elected are the representatives of the majority tendencies within the archdiocese - often, the third person is chosen by the Holy Synod to prevent one of the two factions prevailing over the other, and allows building a consensus, even if it varies according to the elections.[9][10]
Candidates
Several metropolitans reportedly expressed interest in the elections before the archbishop's death : they are George of Paphos, Athanasios of Limassol, Isaiah of Tamassos as well as the metropolitans of Constantias, Morphou, Karpasia and Kykkos.[10][11]
For now, the Metropolitan of Famagusta (Constantias), Basil, is the only one to have officially declared himself as a candidate.[12]
Positions of the candidates
The fundamental question in the power relations between the candidates is the relationship to be maintained in the question of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church, where the late Archbishop of Cyprus, Chrysostomos II, had ardently defended it,[13][14][15] condemning explicitly the Russian invasion of Ukraine and opposing Russian attempts to interfere in other Orthodox Churches, including the Church of Cyprus.[16][17][18] Before he died, he opposed the Metropolitans of Limassol and Morphou saying they were not "sane" and calling them "protestants" for their refusal to concelebrate with him, despite the fact that he was their hierarchical superior.[19][20]
Metropolitan George of Paphos is a long-time friend of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. From the beginning of the question of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church, he supported the decision taken by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.[21]
The same goes for the Metropolitan of Constantias, Basil, who has also always maintained privileged relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Greece.[21] He declared to be one of the candidates that the late Chrysostomos II would have liked to see succeed him.[12]
Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol is one of the candidates of the pro-Russian faction; he had already stood for election in 2006 and lost to Chrysostomos II.[22] A strong presence of Russian oligarchs in Limassol reinforces its links with the Kremlin.[23] He had a Russian-style church built in Cyprus to cater to Russian pilgrims and tourists, who are an important part of his income, at least until the sanctions against Russia.[24]
The Metropolitan of Tamassos, Isaiah, is also a candidate close to the Russian government ; he studied in Russia, where he developed relationships with financial and ecclesiastical actors in Russia.[24] He, like the Metropolitan of Limassol, had a Russian-style church built with the money of a Russian oligarch[24] and was even rebuked by Chrysostomos II when he officiated a liturgy in honor of Tsar Nicolas II, who is not recognized as a saint by the Church of Cyprus, in Russian liturgical vestments.[24]
The Metropolitan of Kykkos, Nicephorus, defends a pro-Russian position ; he opposed the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church with the metropolitans of Limassol and Tamassos.[25] He had lost the archbishopric elections of 2006 against Chrysostomos II.[26] The latter accused him, along with the other two metropolitans, of serving the interests of Russia for personal matters and not for the good of Orthodoxy and to be "protestants".[27]
The Metropolitan of Morphou, meanwhile, is known for his many conspiratorial stances, claiming to find prophecies of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asterix,[28][29] for example, or that anal sex leads to children becoming homosexuals.[30] He also supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine stating that "a war must be fought to purge the children of the devil".[31]
Conflicts between candidates
From the first days of the electoral campaign, conflicts emerged between several candidates. The Metropolitan of Limassol, Athanasios, declared to the press: "I do not wish to be elected, but if the Church entrusts me with such a ministry, I would accept it" to which George of Paphos replied that "it is somewhat uncomfortable, when the Archbishop is not yet buried, to discuss such matters".[32]
A new conflict broke out during the meeting of the Holy Synod on November 14, 2022, the lesser-known candidates wishing to have additional time to conduct their electoral campaign, beyond the 40 days provided for by the Charter of the Church of Cyprus. This request was denied by a vote of 10 to 6.[33]
Notes and references
- ^ "Στις 18 Δεκεμβρίου 2022 οι Αρχιεπισκοπικές εκλογές, για πρώτη φορά ψηφοδέλτιο". AlphaNews.Live (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ "Archbishop elections on December 18 (Update 3) | Cyprus Mail". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ "Archbishop Chrysostomos dies aged 81 (update 5, videos) | Cyprus Mail". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ "Κύπρος: Εξαήμερο Εθνικό πένθος για την εκδημία του μακαριστού Χρυσοστόμου Β' - Μεσίστιες κυματίζουν οι σημαίες". Dogma (in Greek). 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ a b "Εξόδιος Ακολουθία του Μακαριστού Αρχιεπισκόπου Κύπρου κυρού Χρυσοστόμου Β΄" (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-12.
- ^ Norton, Peter (2007). Episcopal elections 250-600 : hierarchy and popular will in late antiquity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-152587-1. OCLC 252682910.
- ^ a b c d Aimilianidēs, Achilleus K. (2013). O neos katastatikos chartēs tēs Ekklēsias tēs Kypru : [epistēmoniko Synedrio, 3. Iuniu 2011]. Kōstas B./21. Jh Katsaros. Leukōsia: Hippasus publ. ISBN 978-9963-2830-0-2. OCLC 883904618.
- ^ a b c "Τι προνοεί το Καταστατικό της Εκκλησίας μετά τη χηρεία του Αρχιεπισκοπικού θρόνου. Πως διεξάγονται οι εκλογές". cyprustimes.com. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ "Kύπρος: Η επόμενη ημέρα της Εκκλησίας-Ο κλειδοκράτωρ των εξελίξεων στις Αρχιεπισκοπικές εκλογές". Dogma (in Greek). 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ a b "Κύπρος: Πώς τα φαβορί για το Τριπρόσωπο μπορούν να βρεθούν στον "πάτο" της Συνόδου". Orthodox Times (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ "Πως τα φαβορί για το Τριπρόσωπο μπορούν να βρεθούν στον "πάτο" της Ιεράς Συνόδου". AlphaNews.Live (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ a b "Αρχμανδρίτης Αυγουστίνος Κκαράς: "Καιρός να μυρίσει Αμμόχωστος"". AlphaNews.Live (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ AsiaNews.it. "Cyprus also recognizes the Ukrainian Church of Epifanyj". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ "Outspoken head of Cypriot Orthodox Church dies aged 81". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ D'orthodoxie, Parlons. "Le Synode de l'Église de Chypre a reconnu la nouvelle Eglise d'Ukraine". Parlons d'orthodoxie (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ Nelly (2022-03-21). "Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus: 'Putin can commune, go to church, but he kills'". NEOS KOSMOS. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ Online, Εκκλησία (2022-03-14). "Κύπρου Χρυσόστομος: Αυτή είναι η ορθοδοξία του Πούτιν;". ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ONLINE (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ "Κύπρου Χρυσόστομος: Τι σόι Χριστιανός είναι ο Πούτιν; - "Οι εξελίξεις δικαιώνουν τον Βαρθολομαίο" - ΒΗΜΑ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΙΑΣ" (in Greek). 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ aviketos. "Αρχιεπίσκοπος Χρυσόστομος: «Προτεστάντες» ο Κύκκου και ο Ταμασού – Αγγελιαφόρος". Aristides Viketos. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ "Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Κύπρου έβαλε "φωτιά" στην εκκλησία: Λάβρος εναντίον των μητροπολιτών που υποστηρίζουν τη Μόχα". Hellasjournal.com. 2022-06-06. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ a b "Η Κύπρος αναζητεί νέο Αρχιεπίσκοπο, στη σκιά της αντιπαράθεσης για την Ουκρανία". ProtoThema (in Greek). 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ "Το εκλογικό... θαύμα του μακαριστού Αρχιεπισκόπου Κύπρου-Πώς επικράτησε στις εκλογές του 2006". Dogma (in Greek). 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ Humphries, Monica. "From mega yachts to multimillion-dollar villas, the city of Limassol is known as a Mediterranean playground for Russian oligarchs". Insider. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ a b c d "Η Κύπρος αναζητεί νέο Αρχιεπίσκοπο, στη σκιά της αντιπαράθεσης για την Ουκρανία". ProtoThema (in Greek). 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ NewsRoom. "Metropolitans of Limassol, Kykkos and Tamassos: Sacred canons are violated for someone who is not canonically ordained to become head of the Church of Ukraine | Orthodox Times (en)". Orthodox Times. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Το εκλογικό... θαύμα του μακαριστού Αρχιεπισκόπου Κύπρου-Πώς επικράτησε στις εκλογές του 2006". Dogma (in Greek). 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ aviketos. "Αρχιεπίσκοπος Χρυσόστομος: «Προτεστάντες» ο Κύκκου και ο Ταμασού – Αγγελιαφόρος". Aristides Viketos. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ "Metropolitan of Morphou: "Prophecy" for a coronavirus in Asterix comics". Famagusta News. 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Μητροπολίτης Μόρφου - Ο Αστερίξ το 2017 μάχεται με τον Coronavirus" (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-09.
- ^ Riley, John (2019-07-31). "Orthodox bishop: Babies become gay if pregnant mothers enjoy anal sex". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
- ^ NewsRoom. "Metropolitan of Morphou for Ukraine: A war must be waged to purge the "devil children" | Orthodox Times (en)". Orthodox Times. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Πέφτουν βροχή οι υποψηφιότητες για τον Αρχιεπισκοπικό θώκο". AlphaNews.Live (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ "«Ιερός πόλεμος» με το καλημέρα, οι… βιαστικοί και οι άλλοι". AlphaNews.Live (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-11-15.