Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos referred forcibly to the Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus, on the occasion of the recognition of the autocephaly of Ukraine a few days ago.
The Metropolitan of Tamassos, who was among the four hierarchs of the Church of Cyprus who was against the Archbishop of Cyprus after the announcement of the decision, spoke yesterday to the Cypriot media (RIK TV) of a “suspicious and cunning act” on the part of the Archbishop.
“We are living through one of the worst institutional crises in the history of the church. We are living in a schism caused by the act of His Beatitude,” Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos, said to RIK TV, as reported by city.sigmalive.com.
As he commented, this decision is cunning, because Archbishop Chrysostomos knows that “we can no longer attend a Synod which will legitimize this decision, if it does not revoke it first. He knows it, he knows the rules of the church for that and it’s cunning”.
He also characterized it suspicious because, as he stated, the issue was raised twice but the proposal for recognition was withdrawn, and the decision of neutrality was taken, a position that allowed mediation by the Church of Cyprus without taking part in the controversy.
Finally, he emphasized that this decision was catastrophic, because according to him causes a scism, “since it annuls the ancient institution of conciliarity. The Synod cannot convene under the regime of blackmail, of an already committed and imposed ecclesiastical illegal act”, as he stated.