The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Archbishop Chrysostomos, said that all the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches, except Patriarch Kirill, acknowledged that he did the right thing when he remembered the Primate of the OCU, Metropolitan Epifaniy, during the service.
This is reported by the Spiritual Front of Ukraine.
If any of the Synod members need an emergency meeting, Archbishop Chrysostomos is ready to hold it, as he expects that the majority of bishops will support him even though not unanimously. "My position may be unbefitting for specific people, but it serves the good of the Church," Bishop Chrysostomos said, according to the Cyprus newspaper Philenews.
On October 24, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, celebrated the liturgy at the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos of Chrysoroyatissa (Pathos region), where he ordained a new bishop – Bishop Pankratius of Arsinoe, Vicar of the Archdiocese of Pathos. When remembering the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches, Chrysostomos mentioned Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv for the first time.
After the Liturgy, Archbishop Chrysostomos said that his decision "will serve Orthodoxy and the Church of Cyprus," adding that although it may be perceived as directed against "specific individuals", he personally is only interested in Orthodoxy.
The truth is that from the point of view of ecclesiastical and Canon Law, the decisions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate cannot be discussed by other local Synods. No other local synod of another church has a right to contest the sovereign decisions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Primates might have updated their Synod members on this, as did the Patriarch of Alexandria and the Archbishop of Athens. But the right to remember another Primate is the right of the Primate, not of the Synod. And this was done by the Archbishop of Cyprus. Of course, he informed his Synod that he intended to exercise this right in his position.
Chrysostomos II recalled that last year he notified the Ecumenical Patriarch of his intention to maintain neutrality. Having asked permission of the Patriarch of Constantinople, the Archbishop visited several Primates of the Orthodox Churches to share his thoughts with them. His Beatitude said that while having extensive experience in pan-orthodox negotiations, he had a great idea of how to resolve this issue. However, the state of his health (problems with the spine) impeded the full implementation of this plan.
"I had to take some stance," the archbishop said. He admitted that the synod members did not know about his decision to commemorate Metropolitan Epifaniy today, and noted the incredible patience of Metropolitan Athanasius, who left the liturgy not immediately after the mention, but in a while.
Greek publications also note that events will develop rapidly, and it is only a matter of time before the Moscow Patriarch stops remembering the Archbishop of Cyprus. On the other hand, the pressure of the Russian Orthodox Church on other churches, especially Greek-speaking ones, is increasing. Therefore it is likely that a new recognition is possible from the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church or the Patriarch of Jerusalem.