The Holy Synod, the church most senior institution, is working to conclude the first phase of the election process for a new Archbishop, which began on Sunday, 24 September, when Orthodox Christians went to the polls to elect 1,400 special representatives.
The Synod is currently examining objections to the election of the representatives, who have been allocated among the four bishops contesting the top post in the autocephalous church of Cyprus, which carries with it special privileges other archbishops in Christian Orthodoxy do not enjoy.
On Thursday, October 5, the Synod will decide whether about 80 objections submitted are valid, will be dismissed or accepted.
The elections are organized, monitored and carried through by church officials. The contenders of the top post in the church hierarchy are: the Bishop of Pafos Chrysostomos, the Bishop of Kition Chrysostomos, the Bishop of Limassol Athanasios and Kykkos Monastery Bishop Nikiforos.
Pafos bishop elected 125 special representatives, Kition bishop 19, Limassol bishop 641 and Kykkos bishop 615. This leaves bishop of Kition Chrysostomos out of the race, with the remaining three bishops contesting the post in earnest. The 1,400 special representatives are allocated, according to the church charter, as follows: 400 for the Archbishopric district that includes Famagusta district, and 200 for each of the metropolitan districts of Pafos, Larnaca, Kyrenia, Limassol and Morphou.
The new Archbishop will replace the ailing Archbishop Chrysostomos, who has been incapacitated for the past four years. Chrysostomos succeeded the late Archbishop and first President of the Republic of Cyprus Makarios III, who died on August 3, 1977. Since Chrysostomos’ illness, the Church has been run by the acting primate of the church, Pafos Bishop Chrysostomos, as stipulated in the church Charter.
This is the first church elections in nearly three decades, to take place after a decision in May this year by a meeting of the Holy Synod, convened by the Eucumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos, head of the Greek Orthodox Church.
When the post of the Archbishop, who according to the Republic of Cyprus protocol is the second most important dignitary in the country after the president, becomes vacant, the Bishop of Pafos acts as a temporary church head. The bishops of Kition, Kyrenia, Limassol and Morphou follow in that order as far as seniority in rank is concerned within the church hierarchy. The acting primate of the church is limited in his duties to dealing with very essential day to day duties and has no authority to introduce changes to the existing rules and regulations.
The 1.400 special representatives, within 22 days of being elected, will subsequently elect 100 general representatives, who must be Greek Orthodox Christians, men or women, permanent residents of Cyprus and over 30 years old.
The 100 general representatives are classified in the following manner: 50 for the Archbishopric district (clergy and laymen) and ten general representatives for each of the other five metropolitan districts. Church regulations stipulate that 34 of the 100 general representatives will be clerics.
The election process moves on to another phase when an Electoral Assembly is set up, comprising ex officio members (such as bishops, deputy bishops, abbots and monks) and the 100 general representatives. The Assembly is called to the Holy Archbishopric to elect the Archbishop by secret ballot in two separate ballot boxes, one for each of the two groups that makes up the Assembly (ex officio and general representatives).
The new Archbishop must secure the majority of votes in both ballot boxes. This complex voting procedure allows for three separate voting processes to take place before the name of the new Archbishop is announced. If these three processes fail to produce a name or if there is equal vote, then the decision rests with the 9-member Holy Synod which meets to elect the archbishop in a secret ballot. If again, there is equal vote, due to an invalid or blank vote, as an election officer has explained, the new archbishop is elected in a draw.
The Church of Cyprus is autocephalous and its head enjoys exceptional privileges (signs in red ink, wears special empirical tunic at important church ceremonies and holds a scepter). The Church was announced autocephalous in 478 AD when the remains of its founder, Saint Barnabas, were located on the island, in a tomb together with a copy of the gospel by Saint Mathew.
