Despite public assurances that he would respect the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople, deposed Bishop Tychikos appears to be adopting a new strategy, making it clear that he will not obey the decisions of either the Church of Cyprus Holy Synod or the Ecumenical Synod.
According to our information yesterday, the Metropolitan, formerly of Paphos, has sent a letter to the Holy Synod informing them that he will now appeal to the civil courts, requesting his reinstatement to the Metropolitan throne of Paphos.
In his letter, Bishop Tychikos makes it clear that he believes he should be reinstated as Metropolitan of Paphos, stressing that his office was legally granted to him by the faithful of the Paphos Metropolitan District through an election process.
He expresses thanks to the members of the Synod in the letter, without specifying the reason, and makes no mention of the continuous changes to the deadlines for his return or for informing the Synodal members of his decisions regarding the choices put before him.
Following this new development, the scheduling of the next session of the Holy Synod and the stance its members will take on the new policy line now being pursued by Bishop Tychikos are awaited with interest. According to the latest information, he is planning his return to Cyprus from Greece, where he remains, within the next few days or even hours.