Newsroom
Dozens of churchgoers gathered peacefully on Sunday afternoon in Paphos to show their support for former Metropolitan Bishop Tychikos and protest the Holy Synod’s decision to remove him from his post.
The faithful first assembled at Town Hall Square, where they read aloud an open letter addressed to the Holy Synod and the media. They then marched to the gates of the Paphos Diocese, continuing their peaceful protest with church hymns.
In the open letter, supporters expressed concern over what they describe as unfair treatment of the bishop. They questioned the accusations against him, which reportedly include allowing the ordination of a priest who later left the church, showing reverence for people considered to have saintly qualities before they are officially canonized, and approving mixed-faith marriages.
“We’re calling for calm, discernment, and compassion,” the letter states, urging both church leaders and journalists not to rush to judgment or sensationalize the issue.
The letter also mentions growing pressure on the former bishop, saying he has become the target of "intense media and church scrutiny" and accusing some groups of trying to portray him as guilty of serious wrongdoing, with possible fallout for church relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Church of Greece, and even the Vatican.
Supporters specifically challenged the claim that Tychikos should be blamed for a priest who years later broke away from the church. “How can a bishop be held responsible for every action a priest takes years after ordination?” they asked.
They also defended the bishop's decision to display an icon of Elder Nektarios Vitalis—seen by many believers as a living saint—inside a chapel, questioning why such an act is now considered inappropriate when past church leaders did similar things.
On the issue of mixed marriages, the letter points out that the diocese has documentation of signed approvals from Tychikos himself, suggesting that such actions were neither secretive nor rare.
In closing, the authors appealed to the media to stick to factual, unbiased reporting and called on the Holy Synod to show “justice, spiritual depth, and to reject ill-intentioned narratives.”
The event began with the crowd singing the Nicene Creed and ended at the bishopric with the hymn “To You, Champion General,” a traditional prayer of support.
