The Turkish occupation has been labeled as harsh, and Cyprus has repeatedly denounced the loss of Christian heritage in the island’s northern part.
Chrysostomos II always had an adamant position on this. However, in a 2018 interview, he said that he would never believe that a peace agreement to reunify the ethnically divided island was possible because Turkey wanted to establish a Turkish state in the nation.
When Pope Benedict XVI visited the island in 2010, Chrysostomos II took the floor and accused Turkey of trying to carry out “dark plans, which include annexing the land now under military occupation and then conquering the whole of Cyprus.”
Chrysostomos II and ecumenism
Beyond political positions, Chrysostomos II argued for the need for closer relations between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.
In 2022, in one of the last interviews with Cypriot state TV, he said: “I want to do a real job, not a demonstration. I arrived and will leave someday, so I want to leave something behind me for this nation. That’s what matters.”
His ecumenical initiatives were many. Acting as president of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus, he participated in the funeral of Pope John Paul II and the inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate in 2005 in the Vatican.
As a response to the fraternal gesture, Benedict XVI sent his delegation to the ceremony of his enthronement.
The climate of mutual brotherhood between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church of Cyprus was then strengthened with the journey of Pope Francis to the island in December 2021.
Reform of the Cypriot Orthodox Church
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Chrysostomos II was also a reformer. He promoted the change of the Cypriot Orthodox Church Charter, which has been in force since 1914 and has been revised twice. First, the charter significantly changed the electoral system, giving greater power to the faithful. In addition, the boundaries of the metropolises were altered, a synodal tribunal of five members was created, and the procedures for ecclesiastical divorce were changed.
He also promoted the expansion of the Holy Synod with the reconstitution after 800 years of old episcopies were abolished during the Frankish domination of the Latins in 1222. In this way, the autocephaly of Cyprus had a full synod — that is, with at least 13 members, which means that a Great and Supreme Synod could now be convened without asking for the participation of bishops from other Churches.
On the practical side, Chrysostomos introduced a unified payroll system for the clergy and established the Theological School of the Church of Cyprus. The latter was the dream of Patriarch Makarios III, who could not implement it following the Turkish invasion of 1974.
His death leaves a great void in the Cypriot Church and Cypriot society. Who will be able to carry on his legacy?
Andrea Gagliarducci is an Italian journalist for Catholic News Agency and Vatican analyst for ACI Stampa. He is a contributor to the National Catholic Register.
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