At its session on February 12, 2026, the Holy Synod of the Most Holy Church of Cyprus addressed the unexpected attack—contrary to Christian ethos—by the foreign intelligence service of a sister Orthodox country against the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Ecumenical Patriarch.
The Holy Synod considers this attack unacceptable and unjustified, and it expresses boundless admiration for the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s invaluable role, as well as unwavering support for the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Although the Church of Cyprus adopted Christianity as early as 45 CE and has enjoyed autocephaly since the Third Ecumenical Council, it holds the Ecumenical Patriarchate in profound respect and fully acknowledges its contributions. The Church of Cyprus does not overlook the fact that all Ecumenical Councils were convened on the territory of the Ecumenical Patriarchate under its primary responsibility. Its contribution to the formulation of Christian doctrine and the shaping of ecclesiastical governance is unique and beyond dispute. Churches that were founded and organized much later ought to regard this reality with greater respect, as they received both Christianity and their autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s many centuries of history and immense contributions have rightly bestowed upon it the primacy of service within the Orthodox Church. It radiates light from the East toward the West while remaining the measure of doctrinal purity throughout the ages.
Today, the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s voice expresses an Orthodoxy of peace, reconciliation, human rights, and ecological sensitivity. For this reason, its pioneering role in inter-Christian and interreligious dialogues is particularly significant, as is its persistent struggle against religious fundamentalism and for the preservation of our planet.
Furthermore, the Holy Synod regards the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as the tireless servant and exponent of the aforementioned aims of the Ecumenical Throne for the past thirty-five years. He is ever active, bearing the daily Cross of duty amid extra-Christian snares and intra-Christian obstacles, striving to protect human dignity, safeguard religious and spiritual freedom, and ensure ecological security.
The Holy Synod prays that God preserve the Ecumenical Patriarch in peace and steadfast faith so he may rightly divide the word of truth and lead the Orthodox people to saving pastures.
At the same time, the Holy Synod implores the Lord to enlighten those who have turned against the Ecumenical Patriarch for various reasons, so they may reconsider their stance and move away from all fanaticism and ethnophyletism.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
