Cyprus’ Orthodox Church on Saturday elected Paphos Bishop Georgios as its new chief following the loss of life of Archbishop Chrysostomos II in November.
The 73-year-old cleric won 9 votes from the 16-member Holy Synod, the church’s best determination making frame, towards 4 for runner-up Limassol Bishop Athanasios. There was once additionally one clean poll.
The Holy Synod’s determination adopted an Dec. 18 lay vote from amongst all Orthodox Christians at the east Mediterranean island country by which Athanasios crowned the ballot, adopted by way of Georgios and Tamasos Bishop Isaias.
According to the Church’s charter, a lay vote is held to make a choice the highest 3 bishops after which the Holy Synod holds its personal secret poll to elect the brand new archbishop.
Georgios have been pegged as the favourite to win the synod’s approval regardless of Athanasios’ lay vote victory on account of what a lot of media studies instructed was once the community of allegiances and dynamics inside the synod.
In remarks earlier than the synod’s vote, Athanasios stated the desire of the folks will have to be revered, however that he would settle for any outcome “with peace and love,” urging supporters to display “appreciate.”
Shouts of “truly worthy” from collected supporters greeted the announcement of Georgios’ election within the Sixteenth-century Cathedral of St. John on Archbishopric grounds within the capital Nicosia.
“I to begin with thank God who accepted as of late’s election, the synod participants who decided on me with their vote and the individuals who selected me to be a few of the tripartite, Georgios stated after his election. “I will be able to take a look at to not seem lesser than my predecessors.”
Among the first to congratulate Georgios was Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades who posted on Twitter that new archbishop would carry on the “great spiritual work of the Church of Cyprus for the benefit of its flock.”
Georgios is thought of as a gradual hand as having held the publish of Synod secretary, echoing the positions of his predecessor in regards to the island’s ethnic department in addition to the church’s improve for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s independence from the Moscow Patriarch, in step with the placement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul.
Georgios studied chemistry and theology in Greece and later the the U.Ok. earlier than emerging within the ranks inside the church to be elected Paphos bishop in 2006.
According to his biography, he received a European Court of Human Rights ruling towards Turkey for violating his human rights after his arrest and maltreatment by way of Turkish government all through a 1989 protest towards the island’s department.
