Archbishop Chrysostomos II, the outspoken chief of Cyprus’ Greek Orthodox Christian Church whose forays into the rustic’s advanced politics and budget fired up supporters and detractors alike, died on Monday. He used to be 81.
Chrysostomos had suffered from liver most cancers for the ultimate 4 years and had spent his ultimate days on the church’s headquarters within the capital.
A bulletin issued by way of a group of docs stated the archbishop “passed peacefully after facing the trial of his ailment with courage, patience and Christian endurance” at 6:40 am (CET) on Monday.
“All those who were close to him during the difficult hours of his ailment experienced his humility, kindness and deep faith as well as his concern for his flock,” the bulletin said.
It added that the archbishop left behind a legacy marked by his “vision, daring, respect for and restoration of the church’s historic tradition as well as innovative changes that always aimed for the unity of the church”.
“What we will always follow us is his directness, kindness, politeness and his smile,” the bulletin said.
The CyBC said the Holy Synod — the church’s highest decision-making body — will convene to make arrangements for the funeral to which other Orthodox Church leaders will be invited.
Tall and imposing with a white beard in accordance with Orthodox clerical tradition, Chrysostomos seldom held back from speaking his mind on issues ranging from politics to the country’s finances, rallying supporters but causing consternation among some politicians and other critics who scolded him for not sticking to his religious duties.
Prior to the island nation’s multibillion-euro financial rescue by international creditors in March 2013, Chrysostomos declared he would have preferred that the cash-strapped country abandon the euro as its currency rather than accept a bailout deal that he said would set its economy back decades. He said a euro exit would at least salvage Cyprus’ dignity.
After the deal was signed, forcing large depositors in the country’s two biggest banks to take a hit on their savings, an indignant Chrysostomos said: “This isn’t the Europe that we believed in when we joined.”
The archbishop additionally didn’t chorus from making his feedback private. He as soon as instructed communist-rooted former President Dimitris Christofias to have interaction in some self-reflection after having been passed a “prosperous, happy nation and leaving it with some people going hungry”.
The cleric railed in opposition to politicians and bankers he known as “thieves” who ran for protection whilst “poor people paid the piper” for his or her ruinous selections. He additionally warned that he wouldn’t hesitate to name at the folks to get up with the intention to save you technocrats from “wreaking havoc” at the nation’s banking sector.
His feedback concerning the international of finance brought on some critics to mention he used to be behaving extra like a businessman and banker than a non secular chief.
Although Chrysostomos had up to now brazenly courted Russian buyers and the Kremlin’s political reinforce, members of the family with the Russian Orthodox Church frayed when he adopted in 2020 the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s resolution to acknowledge the brand new Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s independence.
His forays into the area’s battle zones integrated a discuss with to war-torn Syria in 2016 to supply reinforce to that nation’s Orthodox devoted. During the coronavirus pandemic, he threw his complete reinforce at the back of scientists’ suggestions for inoculations and different restrictions aimed toward fighting the virus’ unfold.
His ascension to the throne in 2006, after his predecessor and namesake may now not perform his tasks as a result of deficient well being, mirrored his political adroitness.
Church leaders in Cyprus are elected by way of lay electorate together with a faculty of clerics, a practice that is going again centuries. Hardly the folks’s favorite and trailing the 2 frontrunners within the lay vote, Chrysostomos outmanoeuvred his competitors by way of clinching majority reinforce inside the faculty to win.
Chrysostomos used to be at all times open about his right-wing politics and used to be no longer afraid to make use of his affect to influence the Holy Synod to bend to his will, even sooner than he turned into a pace-setter.
Chrysostomos had spoken brazenly about his mistrust of Turkey’s intentions in Cyprus. In a 2018 interview, he stated he by no means believed {that a} peace deal to reunify the ethnically divided island country used to be imaginable as a result of Turkey sought after to ascertain a Turkish state within the nation.
Cyprus used to be cut up in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by way of supporters of a union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared an impartial state within the north of the Mediterranean island, recognised handiest by way of Turkey, which maintains 35,000 troops there.
Chrysostomos campaigned in 2004 for the church to take a stand in opposition to what used to be believed to be an unfair UN-drafted peace plan that the majority of Greek Cypriots due to this fact voted down in a referendum.
Addressing Pope Benedict XVI right through the pontiff’s 2010 discuss with to the island, Chrysostomos accused Turkey of seeking to perform “its obscure plans which include the annexation of the land now under military occupation and then a conquest of the whole of Cyprus”.
Chrysostomos additionally stated Turks “ruthlessly sacked” Christian works of art, claiming they had been in quest of to make Greek and Christian tradition disappear from northern Cyprus. Just as he instructed former Pope Benedict, the archbishop additionally appealed to Pope Francis right through the pontiff’s 2021 discuss with to Cyprus for assist to verify the safety of the sacred Christian monuments.
Despite his politics, the archbishop labored carefully with the Muslim mufti, the non secular chief of the Turkish Cypriots, in addition to different Christian leaders to rebuild non secular websites to ship the message that religion is an anchor somewhat than a hindrance to peace.
Church’s affect on Cyprus
The church’s weighty affect in Cyprus dates again to the Middle Ages when the island’s Ottoman rulers had recognised it as the only consultant frame of the Greek Orthodox Christian inhabitants. That persevered correct as much as 1960 when Cyprus received independence from British colonial rule with the election of then-Archbishop Makarios as the rustic’s first president.
Born on April 10, 1941, Chrysostomos’ non secular calling got here early when he joined Cyprus’ well-known monastery of Saint Neophytos as a lay-brother correct after finishing number one college. He regularly rose during the church’s ranks till 1978, when he used to be enthroned bishop of his local prefecture of Paphos.
As archbishop, Chrysostomos shored up church budget and enacted a string of reforms, together with restoring the church’s decision-making independence by way of bolstering the Holy Synod with the ordination of latest bishops and the drafting of a brand new charter.
Chrysostomos additionally opened a church place of job on the European Union’s headquarters in Brussels and used to be a robust supporter of nearer members of the family between the Orthodox and Catholic church buildings.
“I want to do real work, not just for show. I came and I’ll eventually be gone, so I want to leave something behind for this country, that’s what matters,” Chrysostomos instructed state broadcaster CyBC in 2022.
