On Saturday, the Holy Synod elected Metropolitan Georgios of Paphos as Archbishop of Cyprus.
The new archbishop received 11 votes, followed by the Metropolitan of Limassol, Athanasios, with 4 votes. One hierarch did not vote. The election was held in the cathedral next to the Archdiocese after the Holy Mass.
After the voting process, 15 of the members of the Holy Synod went in procession to the old cathedral, where the hierarchs signed the Minutes of the Holy Synod.
After prayer, the decision of the Holy Synod on the election of Metropolitan Georgios of Paphos as Archbishop was read aloud, and His Eminence Georgios entered the cathedral, greeted by the faithful shouting “Worthy is he!”
The new Archbishop was the last to sign the Minutes, in red ink, a unique privilege granted to the Archbishop of Cyprus by a Byzantine Emperor.
The enthronement will take place after the feast of Epiphany.
Archbishop Chrysostom II died in November, aged 81, after a long battle with cancer.
The newly elected Archbishop of Cyprus, Georgios, was born on 25 May 1949 in Athianou. With a scholarship from the Cyprus State Scholarship Foundation, he studied Chemistry at the University of Athens between 1968 and 1972.
After graduation, he studied Theology at the same university, followed by further studies in England in both Chemistry and Theology.
In 1984 he was ordained deacon and in 1985, during the pastorate of Archbishop Chrysostom I of Cyprus, he was ordained elder and archimandrite. In 1994 he assumed the duties of Secretary of the Holy Synod.
In the meantime, he also worked as a Chemistry teacher in secondary schools.
He was ordained to the episcopacy on May 26, 1996 and was elected Metropolitan of Paphos on December 29, 2006. He has been appointed to represent the Church of Cyprus at pan-Orthodox conferences and in dialogue with Roman Catholics, as well as chairing the bioethics and education commissions of the Holy Synod.
The President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, tweeted a congratulatory message to the new Archbishop: “I am sure that under the enlightened leadership of the new Archbishop, the Church of Cyprus will continue its great spiritual work for the benefit of the people,” the President of Cyprus tweeted.
Συγχαρητήρια στον Μητροπολίτη Πάφου Γεώργιο για την ανάδειξη του ως Αρχιεπισκόπου Νέας Ιουστινιανής και πάσης Κύπρου. Είμαι βέβαιος πως υπό τη φωτισμένη ηγεσία του νέου
Αρχιεπισκόπου η εκκλησία της Κύπρου θα συνεχίσει το σπουδαίο πνευματικό της έργο προς όφελος του ποιμνίου.— Nicos Anastasiades (@AnastasiadesCY) December 24, 2022
Photo source: Orthodox Times
