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

Metropolitans Athanasios of Limassol, Nikiphoros of Kykkos and Isaiah of Tamassos responded to the Archbishop of Cyprus regarding their reaction on the autocephaly of the Church of Ukraine by the Ecumenical Patriarch.

In a joint statement issued, they speak of a violation of the sacred canons and of the existing ecclesiastical order in order for someone non-canonically ordained to become primate of the Church of Ukraine, which as they say it belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate.

They even implicate the Archbishop of Cyprus for violating the Synodal decision as, according to them, he did not have the same stance with Metropolitan Vasilios of Constantia, who represented the Church of Cyprus when participating at the St. Andrew’s Throne Day at the Phanar and concelebrated with Metropolitan Efstratios of Tšernigiv and Nizna, while they were reprimanded for co-organizing with the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism of the Russian Orthodox Church a conference on Monasticism.

They even call on Archbishop Chrysostomos to take a position on the matter.

They also emphasize that the decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus on neutrality on the Ukrainian issue did not mean to disrupt the Communion or any other relationship with both the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Russia.

Lastly, they leave without comment the inappropriate, as they call them, characterizations for them, which do not fit the whole ecclesiastical spirit.